Ministry of Health Puts an End to the Obstacle of Past Diagnoses
Official titleRegulation Amending the Regulation on Personal Health Data
The Ministry of Health has introduced a new board mechanism that prevents past diagnoses from posing an obstacle in processes such as employment by ensuring that individuals' past health diagnoses are re-evaluated based on their current status.
Details of the Regulation
With the new regulation amendment published by the Ministry of Health, a significant legal framework has been established that allows medical diagnoses received by individuals in the past to be re-evaluated within the framework of their current health status. In this context, diagnoses previously rendered by a single physician will be re-examined by a medical board consisting of three physicians, whereas diagnoses rendered by a three-physician board or a fully-fledged medical board will be re-examined solely by a fully-fledged medical board. As a result of the examination, a 'medical board report indicating status' reflecting the individual's current condition will be issued.
One of the most critical changes introduced by the Regulation is the legal bindingness of this new medical report. If the medical board report determines that the past diagnosis no longer exists in the individual's current status, the past diagnosis cannot be taken as a basis in any administrative and legal process, particularly in employment processes. This provision will prevent past diagnoses that have been cured, especially psychiatric, chronic, or physical diagnoses, from standing as an obstacle to the employment of individuals.
Furthermore, actions performed by the General Directorate of the Ministry of Health regarding personal health data (such as deletion, correction, etc.) will also be implemented simultaneously in the health service provider's own database. Updates to databases of other relevant institutions will be evaluated within the framework of their own legislation.
Questions You Might Have
- Can I have every past diagnosis deleted?
- No, this is not about deleting diagnoses, but re-evaluating them according to your current status. If the board reports that this disease no longer exists in your current status, the past diagnosis can no longer be used against you in processes such as employment.
- Can hiring companies or institutions say 'We will still look at the past diagnosis'?
- No, the regulation is very clear: 'In all processes, particularly employment processes, diagnoses received in the past cannot be taken as a basis.' Institutions are obliged to take into account the report indicating current status.
Key Terms
- Durum Bildirir Sağlık Kurulu Raporu
- An official board report establishing a person's current health status and the functionality of specific organs or systems.
- Tam Teşekküllü Sağlık Kurulu
- A hospital board authorized to issue comprehensive medical reports, comprising specialist physicians from core branches.
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REGAS Commentary
This regulation resolves the issue where conditions suffered in the past and fully cured (for instance, past psychiatric treatments or mild chronic conditions) were brought up as an 'obstacle' against candidates in military, police, or private sector recruitment. Citizens will now be able to register their current health status through official boards and render past diagnoses null and void.