Türkiye outlines policy to address education, healthcare, emerging challenges

ANKARA, Türkiye (MNTV) — A comprehensive policy report prepared by nearly 600 academics from universities across Türkiye has outlined recommendations to help address a wide range of national challenges, including education, healthcare, artificial intelligence, agriculture, environmental sustainability, and water management.

The report, titled Türkiye Report: Forecasts, Proposals and Solutions, is the result of almost four years of research and consultation coordinated by the Cihannuma Association in collaboration with the Union of Academicians and Writers of Islamic Countries (AYBIR). 

It is scheduled to be officially launched on July 17, with Anadolu Agency serving as the event’s communications partner.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Cihannuma Association Chairman Selim Cerrah said the report was developed through 28 workshops held across different regions of Türkiye, bringing together academics and specialists from a broad range of disciplines to examine the country’s most pressing policy issues.

“Our goal was to identify Türkiye’s challenges across different sectors and develop policy recommendations to address them,” Cerrah said.

He explained that the first workshop focused on migration in the aftermath of the Syrian civil war, while subsequent meetings examined healthcare, digitalization, higher education, youth development, agriculture, artificial intelligence, and other strategic sectors.

“For the report prepared by 600 academics from different universities, we focused on issues that directly affect people’s daily lives and require solutions,” Cerrah said. 

“Through this comprehensive report, we aim to provide policymakers and practitioners with a roadmap.”

The report will be formally presented during a launch event expected to be attended by Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz.

Education and healthcare are among the report’s central themes.

According to Cerrah, the recommendations support the Türkiye Century Education Model while proposing measures to improve health literacy, enhance the efficiency of healthcare services, and strengthen protections for healthcare professionals against workplace violence.

Among the report’s institutional recommendations is the establishment of a Health Industry Presidency to oversee pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and health technologies under a single coordinating body. 

Cerrah said such an institution could improve coordination across the health sector while contributing to Türkiye’s export capacity and helping reduce the country’s current account deficit.

Artificial intelligence also features prominently in the report. Cerrah said technological advances should be embraced responsibly, emphasizing that AI offers significant opportunities but should not be viewed as an unquestionable source of information.

“We cannot ignore artificial intelligence, but neither can we regard all the information it generates as absolute truth,” he said, adding that the future would increasingly depend on how societies generate knowledge and apply emerging technologies for the benefit of humanity.

The report also identifies agriculture, environmental sustainability, and water management as long-term strategic priorities. 

Cerrah stressed that protecting water resources will become increasingly important as countries face growing environmental and climate-related challenges in the coming decades.

According to the association, the report will be published online and distributed in print to government institutions, policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders to support evidence-based policymaking and encourage broader discussion on Türkiye’s long-term development priorities.