Health Tourism in Turkey: Get Healthy for 1/10 the Price

Health Tourism in Turkey: Get Healthy for 1/10 the Price

Health tourism in Turkey, is a sector that has shown great development in recent years and has made significant contributions to the national economy. Turkey is one of the most preferred countries in health tourism in the world with the quality of health services, affordable prices, geographical location and cultural richness. Dec.

Within the scope of health tourism, services are provided in different areas such as medical tourism, thermal tourism, elderly and disabled tourism. Thermal tourism, in particular, has a great potential due to the fact that Turkey is rich in geothermal resources.

Turkey’s target revenue from health tourism in 2023 has been set at $ 10 billion. In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to conduct more publicity, conduct branding studies, raise quality standards and increase international cooperation.

What is Medical Tourism?

Medical tourism, it is the use of health and tourism opportunities by traveling to another country from their place of residence for the purpose of protecting, improving or treating human health or diseases. For the person traveling for this purpose health tourist it is called.

Health tourism is a sector that is growing rapidly in the world and competition is intense. Health tourists prefer different countries due to factors such as affordable prices, quality services, alternative treatment methods and cultural attractiveness. Among the benefits of health tourism; Decrement of health expenditures, increase of employment, support of economic development and development of opportunities of international cooperation can be mentioned.

What are the advantages of Medical tourism?

Health tourism, is a type of tourism that has gained popularity in recent years and benefited both individuals and countries. Health tourism, in short, can be defined as the travel of people to a different country or city to receive services related to their health. Medical tourism can be divided into various categories.

Medical tourism is when people receive adequate or inappropriate medical services in their own country in another country. These services are usually inpatient conditions that require hospital treatment or surgery. Medical tourists travel to get better quality, faster or cheaper health care.

Health tourism has many advantages. Some of these are:

• Thanks to health tourism, people get more options to improve their health.
• Health tourism increases cultural exchange between countries and strengthens friendly relations. Dec.
• Health tourism contributes to the country’s economy and creates employment.
• Health tourism provides protection against seasonal fluctuations because it can be done at any season of the year.
• It offers the opportunity to have a holiday together with the health tour and improves the quality of life of people.

Which diseases do Health tourists prefer Turkey for?

Turkey, health tourism it has an important position in the world in its field. Hundreds of thousands of patients visit Turkey every year to get quality and affordable health care. So which diseases do health tourists come to Turkey for the most?

Hair October and aesthetic operations are the most preferred treatments of patients coming to Turkey within the scope of health tourism. Especially patients from European and Arab countries can find specialized doctors and modern facilities in this field in Turkey. In addition to hair October and aesthetic operations, eye surgeries, dental treatments, obesity surgery, IVF and infertility treatments are other areas that attract the attention of health tourists.

Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) according to the data, 1.258.382 patients came to our country in 2022 within the scope of health tourism and the health of tourism. The most preferred clinical branches of these patients were listed as follows: gynecology, internal medicine, eye diseases, medical biochemistry, general surgery, dentistry, orthopedics and traumatology, infectious diseases and ear-nose-throat.

What are the advantages of Turkey in health tourism?

There are many reasons why Turkey is preferred in health tourism. Some of these are:

• Healthcare services in Turkey are both high quality and affordable. It is more economical than many treatments performed in Europe or America.
• There are doctors and nurses specialized in the field of health in Turkey. In addition, the number of staff who speak foreign languages is also quite high.
• Health facilities in Turkey are modern and equipped. The hospitals provide services in accordance with international standards.
• Health tourists in Turkey can also explore the cultural and natural beauties at the same time. There are many options such as historical sites, museums, mosques, churches.
• Visa facilitation is also offered for health tourists in Turkey. Citizens of many countries can easily enter the country with an e-visa.

What are the future prospects in health tourism?

Although the health tourism sector has taken a big hit during the pandemic period, it has started to revive during the normalization process. It is expected that people will pay more attention to their health after the global health crisis. This will increase the demand for health tourism.

Efforts are also underway for Turkey to take a greater share in this area. Ministry of Commerce it is aimed to attract more patients with the projects carried out under his leadership.

Which cities in Turkey is health tourism more widespread?

Istanbul is the leading city among the most preferred cities in health tourism in Turkey. Dec. Istanbul attracts patients from many countries due to its location on both the European and Asian continents. There are many clinics and hospitals operating in Istanbul, especially in the fields of hair October and aesthetic surgery.

After Istanbul, Ankara is also an important center in health tourism. There are specialized hospitals in Ankara, especially in the fields of IVF treatment and oncology. Ankara is also important in terms of political and diplomatic relations due to the fact that it is the capital of Turkey.

Antalya, on the other hand, is not only the most popular holiday destination in Turkey, but also an ambitious city in health tourism. There are institutions in Antalya that provide services especially in the fields of dental treatment and eye treatment. Antalya is also a destination where patients can have a holiday with its sea, sun, historical and cultural riches.

Other cities of Turkey also attract attention with their unique features in health tourism. For example, Bursa is known for its thermal springs and hot springs, while Gaziantep attracts gastronomy tourists with its culinary culture. Izmir, on the other hand, attracts the attention of both domestic and foreign patients with its modern lifestyle and Aegean culture.

It is stated that Turkey aims to reach 1.5 million patients and 10 billion dollars in revenue in health tourism in 2023. In order to achieve this goal, the sector needs to increase its quality standards, carry out branding studies and strengthen its promotional activities.

From which countries do the most patients come to Turkey in health tourism?

So, from which countries do the most patients come to Turkey for health tourism? To answer this question, both Ministry of Health we have examined the data of both and various sources. Turkey receives the most visitors from Azerbaijan, England, Germany, Georgia and Spain in the field of health tourism. These countries are followed by the United States Dec Sundays, Iran, France and the Netherlands, while our other most important source markets include West Asian countries and African countries.

Germany: The number of patients coming from Germany to Turkey is increasing every year. Turkish citizens and German citizens living in Germany find Turkey advantageous both in terms of price and quality. Patients from Germany prefer Turkey most in areas such as hair October, aesthetic surgery, dental treatment, eye treatment and organ transplantation.

Iraq: Iraqis who find it difficult to access health services due to the political and economic problems experienced in Iraq are also turning to Turkey. A large part of the patients coming from Iraq receive services in areas requiring specialization such as cancer treatment, orthopedics, cardiology and neurosurgery.

Azerbaijan: Fraternal relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey are also manifested Decently in health tourism. Similarly, patients from Azerbaijan choose Turkey in areas such as cancer treatment, organ transplantation, aesthetic surgery and dental treatment.

Libya: Libya is a country where there is political instability, just like Iraq. Patients from Libya also usually come to Turkey in areas such as cancer treatment, orthopedics and cardiology.

Saudi Arabia: Patients from Saudi Arabia also choose Turkey, especially in areas such as aesthetic surgery, hair October and IVF treatment. Saudi Arabians also come to cities such as Antalya, Mugla and Istanbul for vacation purposes.

Russia: Patients from Russia also prefer Turkey for both vacation and health purposes. Patients from Russia prefer Turkey most often for hair October, aesthetic surgery, eye treatment.

Developments and Opportunities in Recent Years

Health tourism has become a growing and competitive Sunday on a global scale. According to the World Health Organization, the volume of health tourism is estimated at about $ 100 billion in 2020.

Turkey, on the other hand, stands out as an important destination in health tourism. Among the advantages of Turkey in health tourism; geographical location, climate, cultural richness, natural resources, affordable prices and high-quality health services can be mentioned Dec. Government support, investments and promotional activities for health tourism in Turkey have also increased.

According to the data of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK); The number of foreign visitors coming to Turkey for medical tourism and medical reasons in 2019 was 701 thousand 46, while the revenue generated was realized as 1 billion 492 million dollars. in 2020, these figures decreased to 407 thousand 423 and 1 billion 164 million dollars respectively due to the pandemic. However, with the normalization process, it is expected that health tourists will increase again. As a matter of fact, the number of tourists who preferred Turkey for treatment purposes in the first ten months of 2021 was 370 thousand 335, while the income received was recorded as 704 million dollars.

Some of the issues that need to be done in order for Turkey to further increase its potential in health tourism are as follows:

• To improve the quality and standards of health services
• To improve the education and language skills of medical personnel
• To provide accreditation of health institutions
• Improving the health insurance system
• Keeping health data up to date and sharing
• To promote the health sector
• To increase cooperation and coordination in the health sector