Istanbul with data: Accessibility to health, women’s health, rising obesity and addiction
Aerial view of Istanbul, Türkiye, September 14, 2024. (AA Photo)
According to research by the Istanbul Planning Agency published during Türkiye Public Health Week (3-9 September), access to family medicine in Istanbul is becoming increasingly difficult.
Nationwide, there are 3,072 people per family medical unit, but in Istanbul, this number rises to 3,187, indicating a shortage of healthcare providers in the city. The private hospital count exceeds public hospitals by threefold, leading many residents to rely on private healthcare services.
Let’s take a look at the data for Istanbul.
Life expectancy in Istanbul
According to the Istanbul Planning Agency’s recent data, the average life expectancy in Istanbul is 79.1 years, which is above both global and Turkish averages but below OECD and EU averages.
Health in Istanbul
In Türkiye, the average population per family medical unit is 3,072, but in Istanbul, this figure rises to 3,187, reflecting a shortage of family health centers and family physicians.
The number of private hospitals in Istanbul exceeds public hospitals by more than three times, forcing many residents to seek private healthcare. The total number of doctors per 100,000 people in Istanbul (284) is above the Turkish average (228) but remains below the OECD average of 372.
According to the Turkish Medical Association (TTB), applications for “Good Standing Certificates,” a requirement for working abroad, increased from 2,685 in 2022 to 3,025 in 2023.
A key indicator of healthcare capacity, hospital bed availability, shows that Istanbul has 30 beds per 100,000 people, which is below both the OECD average (43) and the Turkish average (31).
Sexual and women’s health services in Istanbul
A 2016 study found that only six hospitals in Istanbul offer elective abortion services, with 11 hospitals refusing the service altogether and 26 providing it only for medical emergencies.
Millions of women in Istanbul face difficulties accessing sexual health services. In response, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) launched a free HPV vaccination program this year for individuals aged 9-26, with vaccines administered at Sehzadebasi and Darulaceze Medical Centers. The IBB also offers free breast cancer screening services as part of its women’s health initiatives.
Obesity in Istanbul: A growing public health concern
Obesity is an increasingly significant public health issue in Istanbul. While the national obesity rate in Türkiye is 20.2%, Istanbul’s rate is notably higher at 30.1%.
Regular physical activity is also a concern, with the three-year average for physical activity participation in the city at 22.7%.
The number of people using sports facilities, gyms, and outdoor activity centers in Istanbul has increased over time. In 2023 alone, 9,608,002 individuals utilized sports facilities in the city. Although COVID-19 pandemic caused a drop in facility usage in 2020 and 2021, records were broken in 2022 and 2023, with over 18 million visits. Last year, 840,838 Istanbul residents made over 10 million visits to IBB facilities, equating to an average of 12 visits per person per year.
| Department | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Number of Use | Number of Use | Number of Use | |||
| Facilities | 6.616.482 | 2.123.116 | 2.497.365 | 8.338.703 | 9.608.002 |
| Sports Centers | – | – | 37.371 | 277.069 | 444.401 |
| Outdoor Activities | 16.642 | 37.109 | 184.765 | 213.645 | 187.478 |
| Sports schools | – | – | 526.399 | 2.019.359 | 1.887.821 |
| OSS | – | – | – | 512.119 | 515.563 |
| In Total | 6.663.124 | 2.160.225 | 3.245.900 | 9.341.536 | 10.755.444 |
Access to healthy food in Istanbul
Since October 2019, the IBB has delivered 32,611,106 liters of milk to 277,183 children in Istanbul to improve their access to healthy food. In the past year alone, 138,440 children received 6,477,880 liters of milk.
From October 2019 to July 2024, the IBB provided 1,272,611 food packages to families, with 100,000 distributed in the last year.
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality services
Over the past year, 15,909 citizens benefited from the IBB’s home healthcare services, which cater to the medical, care, and rehabilitation needs of patients and their families. Additionally, 2,098 elderly citizens sought assistance through the Solution Center (Alo 153) and the Elderly Consultation Line as of May 2023.
The IBB also offers patient transportation services via ambulance, addressing various needs, such as emergency illness, injuries, and inter-hospital transfers.
The IBB’s Psychological Counseling Centers (PDM) served 27,151 citizens in the past year, conducting a total of 95,975 sessions. The PDM provides services to individuals aged 3-65.
Addiction services in Istanbul
The IBB established five Social Cohesion Support Centers (SUDEM) to offer support for individuals dealing with substance, alcohol, and screen addiction. Over the past year, 2,049 Istanbul residents benefited from these services.
