Contents
In a hospital, "mandatory training" doesn't come from a single piece of legislation. Occupational health and safety (OHS), quality standards (SKS, Turkey's Health Quality Standards), infection control, medical waste, radiation safety and personal data protection (KVKK, the Turkish Personal Data Protection Law) are each defined in separate regulations, with different scopes and frequencies. Not everyone has to take every training, but knowing who needs which one is the training unit's job.
The scale isn't small either. According to Ministry of Health data, Turkey had 1,562 hospitals and 1,436,686 healthcare staff in 2024; 505,905 of them were in the "other staff and contracted services" group. In other words, mandatory training is a management issue that covers not only physicians and nurses but also cleaning, security and administrative staff.
In this guide, we have gathered the main mandatory trainings for healthcare facilities in Turkey into a single table, then briefly explained each one.
Summary table
| Training | Who it covers | Frequency | Legal basis | Possible consequence of gaps (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occupational health and safety | All employees, including apprentices and interns | Before starting work; basic training within 3 months; refresher once a year in hospitals | Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety, Art. 17; OHS Training Regulation (Official Gazette, RG 02.04.2026) | Administrative fine of TRY 8,980 per employee (secondary source) |
| Patient and staff safety | All employees of secondary and tertiary healthcare institutions | According to the institution's training plan | Regulation on Ensuring Patient and Employee Safety, Art. 8/1-e | No separate fine; minimum score of 80 in the Ministry's assessment |
| Infection control | Staff of inpatient healthcare facilities | Continuous in-service training | Infection Control Regulation for Inpatient Healthcare Facilities, Art. 7/c | No separate fine; action under general provisions |
| Medical waste | Staff involved in medical waste management | Periodic | Regulation on the Control of Medical Waste, Art. 9, 23 | Sanctions under Environmental Law No. 2872, Art. 20; no clause specific to training |
| Radiation safety | Radiation workers and staff likely to be in radiation areas | At regular intervals; certificate of achievement valid for 5 years | NDK (Nuclear Regulatory Authority) Authorization Regulation, Art. 28; Radiation Protection Training Regulation | Administrative fine under Law No. 7381, Art. 25/1-c |
| KVKK awareness | Employees involved in health data processing | Regularly | Law No. 6698, Art. 12; Board Decision 2018/10 | Administrative fine of TRY 256,357–17,092,242 |
| Patient rights | Reception, information desk, registration and emergency reception units | At least once a year | SKS Hospital S.6.1 (HHE01.04, HHE02.03, SAS05.07) | SKS score and action plan; no fine |
| Orientation and in-service training | Every new employee; all employees | On starting work; as planned | SKS Hospital S.6.1 (KEY03, KEY04) | SKS score and action plan; no fine |
This content is for general information only and is not legal advice; check the official source for current amounts.
Mandatory training, topic by topic
1. Occupational health and safety
Induction training is given before the employee actually starts work, face to face and hands-on, for at least 2 hours. Basic training is completed within three months at the latest. Because inpatient hospitals are in the "very hazardous" class, basic training is at least 16 class hours and is repeated once a year; the section on job- and workplace-specific risks is delivered face to face.
The fine applies separately for each employee, per breach. The 2026 amount of TRY 8,980 comes from a secondary source; the Ministry of Labor and Social Security has not published a 2026 table for this law.
2. Patient and staff safety
The regulation covers secondary and tertiary healthcare institutions in the public, university and private sectors, and requires patient and staff safety training for all employees. The institution's most senior manager is responsible for implementation. The regulation sets no separate fine; however, in the Ministry's assessment, the relevant standards must score at least 80 out of 100.
3. Infection control
The infection control committee is responsible for ensuring continuous in-service training so that staff can apply the standards, and for monitoring practice. Staff training is also among the duties of the infection control physician and nurse. The regulation provides for no specific fine; breaches are handled under general provisions.
4. Medical waste
Healthcare facilities must periodically train staff involved in medical waste management, employ staff holding a Vocational Qualifications Authority (MYK) certificate in the relevant field, and have these staff undergo health checks at least every six months. Training covers the rules for collection, transport, temporary storage, sterilization and disposal, health risks, and the measures to take in an accident.
The Environmental Law has no penalty clause specific to missing training, and which clause applies depends on the specific case. The main 2026 amounts related to waste management are: up to TRY 63,802 for procedural breaches at facilities producing 1 kilogram of medical waste or less per day, and TRY 782,106 to TRY 3,128,439 for improper collection, transport, storage or disposal of waste. Under the law, this second fine is applied at three times the amount to institutions, organizations and businesses.
5. Radiation safety
An organization authorized by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NDK) ensures that radiation workers and staff likely to be in radiation areas receive radiation protection training at regular intervals, prepares a training plan and keeps training records. Radiation protection officers and other staff designated by the Authority must attend training by an authorized organization and obtain a certificate; the certificate of achievement is valid for five years.
For breaches, the 2026 amounts are TRY 874,115–4,070,698 for radiation facilities and TRY 25,518–178,648 for other activities. If a breach is not remedied within the time given, the fine doubles each time. Which category a typical hospital X-ray activity falls into depends on the specific situation.
6. KVKK awareness
Health data is special-category personal data. Decision 2018/10 of the Personal Data Protection Board requires that employees involved in processing such data receive regular training on the law and data security, sign confidentiality agreements, and have their access rights reviewed periodically. The 2026 range for breaching the data security obligation is TRY 256,357–17,092,242. In public institutions, disciplinary provisions apply to the officials responsible for the same acts.
7. Patient rights
SKS Hospital Version 6.1 requires staff working in reception, information and guidance, patient registration and emergency reception units to receive training at least once a year. The minimum topics include patient satisfaction, patient rights and communication skills. For other employees, patient rights can be included in the in-service training plan. The consequence of not meeting SKS is not a fine but the assessment score and an action plan obligation.
8. Orientation and in-service training
Under SKS, every new employee receives general orientation and department orientation; in-service training is delivered as planned, and staff are taught the SKS processes of their unit. Training delivered must be recorded and be accessible from the personnel file. The Healthcare Quality Regulation sets no fines; an action plan is prepared for standards found "partially met" or "not met" in the self-assessment.
The common denominator: records
Nearly every training in the table comes down to the same question: "Can you show that you delivered the training?" OHS induction training is recorded in minutes and placed in the personnel file, SKS wants training records in the personnel file, and NDK looks for the certificates and records of radiation protection training. In a compensation lawsuit after a workplace accident or patient harm, dated training records are also the institution's main tool for proving it exercised due care.
Checklist for annual planning
- For each employee, the trainings that are mandatory for their role and department have been listed.
- Contracted service staff (cleaning, security, catering) have been included in the list.
- Staff working in radiation areas and staff involved in medical waste management have been flagged separately.
- The frequency of each training and its next due date are tracked for each employee.
- Sections that must be delivered face to face are planned separately.
- Certificate validity periods (for example, the radiation certificate of achievement) are tracked.
- Records are in one place and accessible from the personnel file.
Sources
- Health Statistics Yearbook 2024 News Bulletin (Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey, September 30, 2025)
- Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety and Regulation on the Procedures and Principles of OHS Training (RG 02.04.2026)
- Fines under Law No. 6331, 2026 (Legalbank, secondary source)
- Regulation on Ensuring Patient and Employee Safety (RG 06.04.2011)
- Infection Control Regulation for Inpatient Healthcare Facilities (RG 11.08.2005)
- Regulation on the Control of Medical Waste, Environmental Law No. 2872 and the 2026 administrative fines annex
- Regulation on Authorizations for Radiation Facilities and Radiation Applications, Regulation on Radiation Protection Training, Nuclear Regulatory Law No. 7381 and the 2026 administrative fines communiqué
- KVKK administrative fines table and Board Decision 2018/10
- Amendment to the Regulation on Improving and Assessing Quality in Healthcare (RG 26.05.2023)
- SKS Hospital Version 6.1 and the SKS Hospital versions page
Mandatory training tracking with ATP MedAI
ATP MedAI's mandatory training catalog covers SKS topics, OHS, infection control, patient rights, hand hygiene, medical waste, fire and disaster, KVKK awareness and, for relevant staff, radiation safety. Training is assigned automatically by role and department; reminders, exams, certificates and expired-certificate alerts are managed in one place. For OHS training, the platform is not a training provider; it offers infrastructure that meets the regulation's distance-training record requirements for training delivered by the hospital's OHS specialist and occupational physician. The manager dashboard shows completion rates by department and produces audit-ready reports.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice; check official sources for current amounts and provisions.
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ATP MedAI Editorial Team
This article was prepared for general information. If you spot an error or omission, let us know and we'll correct it.