Using SGK and GSS in Türkiye 2026: Hospital, Prescription and Emergency Costs

[TURKIYE]

Using SGK and GSS in Türkiye 2026: Hospital, Prescription and Emergency Costs

SGK registration does not mean that every treatment or medicine is free. Check active entitlement in SPAS, use the appropriate contracted provider, and distinguish the consultation copayment from medicine contributions, price differences and any lawful private-provider additional charge.

Discussing care during a medical consultation​

Check entitlement before attending​

Open SPAS Müstehaklık Sorgulama on e-Devlet. If entitlement is inactive, review contribution days, GSS debt, employer registration, dependant status, and insurance start or end dates. A recorded registration is not proof that an ordinary visit can currently be processed through SGK.

Where SGK can be used​

Subject to its rules, SGK cover can be used at family health services, public hospitals, training and research hospitals, included university hospitals, contracted private hospitals or medical centres, and contracted pharmacies.

Before attending a private provider, ask: SGK anlaşmanız var mı? — “Do you have a contract with SGK?” A hospital’s contract does not establish that every doctor, branch or procedure is covered in the same way. Confirm the planned service, rather than relying on the hospital’s name alone.

Consultation copayments in 2026​

SGK’s published schedule lists no ordinary consultation copayment at primary-care providers, TRY 26 for the listed public and university secondary/tertiary providers, and TRY 60 for secondary/tertiary private providers. Where an authorised family physician refers the patient, the applicable consultation copayment is reduced by 50% under the rules.

Collection may occur at the provider, through a pension deduction, or later at the pharmacy, depending on the provider and the insured person’s status. That is why a pharmacy bill may include a consultation charge from an earlier visit.

SGK consultation category	Base copayment	With a qualifying family-physician referral
Primary care/authorised family physician	No ordinary consultation copayment	No separate referral charge is created here
Listed public/university providers	TRY 26	TRY 13 where the 50% reduction applies
Secondary/tertiary private providers	TRY 60	TRY 30 where the reduction applies
Same specialty at another provider within 10 days	A TRY 5 addition may apply	Check the exceptions and the recorded referral

A further TRY 5 may apply when visiting a different provider in the same specialty within ten days. SGK specifies exceptions, including primary care, designated chronic diseases, electronic referral and emergency circumstances. Check the individual transaction before disputing a small difference.

A copayment is not the whole private-hospital bill​

Muayene Katılım Payı is the consultation copayment. İlave Ücret is an additional charge that a contracted private provider may levy within the legal rules. SGK Kapsamı Dışı Hizmet is a service outside SGK funding, for which the patient may have to pay the full cost.

A provider charging an additional fee must disclose it and obtain the required written consent before the service. Ask for a written estimate separating SGK funding, the additional charge and any unfunded materials or services. Obtain an itemised invoice and payment receipt afterwards. An undisclosed additional charge should not first appear after the procedure has been completed.

Services protected from additional charges​

The rules protect specified services from additional charges, including genuine emergency care, intensive care, burns treatment, certain cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, newborn care, and organ, tissue and stem-cell transplantation services. Classification and procedure-specific rules matter, so review the current SGK list if there is a dispute.

For genuine SGK-covered emergency care, the protected emergency phase is different from a non-emergency “green area” visit, Yeşil Alan Muayenesi. When the emergency phase ends and subsequent care becomes subject to additional charges, the provider must supply written notification against signature using Acil Halin Sona Ermesine İlişkin Bilgilendirme Formu (EK-1/D), the prescribed end-of-emergency information form. Do not extend this SGK billing position to every uninsured tourist.

Making an online payment​

Prescription contributions​

For covered outpatient medicines, SGK income/pension recipients and their dependants generally contribute 10% of the funded medicine value; other insured people contribute 20%. There is also a prescription contribution of TRY 3.76 for up to three packs, including the third, plus TRY 1.25 for each additional pack.

Medicines specified for diseases on the exemption list EK-4/D may be exempt when supported by the required medical report. Having any chronic disease or any report does not automatically exempt every medicine. Pack/item-count rules and exemptions affect the final prescription charge.

Item	Amount/rate	What to check
Outpatient medicine: pension/income recipient and dependants	10%	The value accepted by SGK
Outpatient medicine: other insured people	20%	Separate this from a price difference
Prescription with up to 3 packs	TRY 3.76	The counting and exemption rules
Each further pack	TRY 1.25	Only after the first 3 packs
Listed exempt medicine with a compliant report	No applicable exempted contribution	The exact disease, medicine and report conditions

Medicine price differences and changing lists​

For an equivalent-medicine group, SGK funds a reference amount based on the cheapest equivalent with a margin of up to 6%. A higher-priced product may leave a patient price difference in addition to the contribution. Ask the pharmacist: Fiyat farkı olmayan eşdeğer ilaç var mı? — “Is there an equivalent medicine without a price difference?” Discuss any necessary substitution with the pharmacist and prescriber, especially where a clinical reason prevents it.

SGK published SUT amendments on 2 October 2026 and subsequent reimbursement-list updates, including an announcement on 7 October. Those publications do not mean that every fee in this guide changed on the same date or that every newly available medicine became reimbursable. Check the exact product, strength, pack, report conditions and effective listing date in the dispensing system.

Services that are not automatically funded​

Some medicines, equipment and materials, optional accommodation, non-medically necessary cosmetic procedures, treatments outside SUT conditions, and routine services at an uncontracted private facility may be unfunded or require a report, referral or authorisation. Establish the position before agreeing to expensive care.

If a charge is unclear, ask for its Turkish name and whether it is a copayment, an additional charge or an unfunded service. Keep the estimate, written consent, invoice, receipt and medical records. Check consultation contributions on e-Devlet and raise the disputed transaction with the provider or SGK.

Before treatment, confirm SPAS, the provider’s contract, the relevant doctor/branch, consultation copayment, additional charges, required reports/referrals, medicine reimbursement and any equivalent option without a price difference.

A healthcare waiting area​

Related topics​

• GSS for Foreign Residents in Türkiye 2026: Registration and Family Cover
• SGK for Foreign Employees in Türkiye 2026: Registration and Family Benefits
• GSS Premiums for Foreign Residents in Türkiye 2026: 60/d, Debt and Payment
• SGK on e-Devlet in Türkiye 2026: Eligibility, Premium Debt and Records
• Public, Private and University Hospitals in Türkiye 2026
• Emergency Care for Foreign Patients in Türkiye 2026
• On-Duty Pharmacies in Türkiye 2026
• Buying Medicines in Türkiye 2026

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