Objective : Turkey's health care system reforms have led not only to increased access
to health care but also to rising pharmaceutical expenditures. Therefore, health technology
assessment (HTA) has become an important tool for evaluating priorities in reimbursement
and budget allocation. Our study aimed to describe the current HTA environment in
Turkey and explore long-term perspectives from a broad spectrum of Turkish stakeholders
on the development of HTA in the next ten years. Methods : In 2019, we used a convenience
sampling method to conduct an online survey with stakeholders from different areas
in the health system. Additional face-to-face discussions were conducted to clarify
answers when needed. We assessed the current evaluation process for pharmaceuticals
and examined the need for HTA in Turkey. Online survey data were extracted into Microsoft
Excel for analysis. Quantitative data were summarised descriptively. Results : A total
of 27 Turkish stakeholders completed the survey; 21 were employed in the public sector,
and 6, in the private sector. The majority of participants (18/27) suggested introducing
HTA for all new health technologies considered for public reimbursement and instituting
an additional review process for currently reimbursed technologies. Most respondents
(25/27) agreed that a threshold for cost-effectiveness should be applied in the next
ten years. Conclusion : The stakeholders concurred that Turkey must implement an HTA
process soon. However, further discussion and interaction between stakeholders are
essential to ensure a broad commitment to the implementation of a structured HTA process
in Turkey.
