How did Medical Tourism Grow so fast in Turkey in such a short time?
Health tourism is still a recent sector in Turkey. It first started to be spoken of in international health congresses eight or nine years ago. While there was some confusion at first, the concept has become clearer overtime as the idea of health tourism, or medical tourism (which provides healthcare for tourists who want to receive treatment and holidays at the same time) began to be defined. Spa treatments and services were also forming as alternative medical tourism options for the elderly and disabled persons with disabilities.
Turkey shows great potential in all three fields, which become stronger every year and attract worldwide interest. The rise in health tourism, or medical tourism, has been especially remarkable. In searching for an answer on how Turkey grew so fast in the field of medical tourism, we should first consider Turkey’s advantages. Among these important aspects are the quality of service, hospital equipment, specialists, short waiting lists, affordability of health services, ease of access, Antalya’s favorable climate, and the presence of modern accommodation facilities. Nearly 95 percent of health tourism services in Turkey today are provided by the private health sector. But public hospitals also have a large share in treating tourists who fall ill while on holiday.
In the meantime, the special attention the Turkish Ministry of Health attaches to health tourism has paved the way for the sector. In 2010, the Ministry established the Health Tourism Coordinating Unit to establish effective strategies for the sector. In addition, it brought incentives in 2011 for the promotion of health tourism abroad, and enabled greater accessibility with the International Patient Assistance Unit’s telephone line (444 47 28). Though specialists speaking several foreign languages are employed in all hospitals, this telephone line translation service is provided in 4 languages—English, German, Russian and Arabic—24 hours a day. Foreign tourists can also reach the 112 Emergency and 184 Complaints lines in their own languages and find answers to their questions and receive help.
It is helpful to look at the conditions foreign nationals deal with in their own countries and relate this to those who come to Turkey to get treatment. For this purpose, let’s take a world map and do a tour of the regions and countries to review the socio-economic status of these countries. With the population in Europe aging rapidly, the need for healthcare services is increasing at the same rate. The rate is inversely proportional with the access to healthcare, since healthcare is very expensive in Europe. Governments are steadily increasing the share of health expenses in their budget, while private insurance companies do not cover some health services because of declining profitability ratios. These developments compel Europeans to seek treatment in other countries. Turkey, close by to Europe, and where healthcare service is much more affordable, is becoming a priority destination among Europeans. But the ongoing economic crisis in Europe is slightly dampening the demands of these citizens. The demand among Turkish emigrants in Europe for treatment in their own native country is also quite strong. In previous years, the citizens of Central Asian and Middle Eastern countries who once preferred to receive healthcare services in European countries, have now made Turkey as their preferred destination due to its proximity and excellent health service.
The affluent classes in African countries which have a shortage in specialist physicians and adequate healthcare facilities likewise went to European countries to get treatment. However, the recent changes in Europe have forced Africans to seek other countries to get help. Considering its proximity, Turkey is an ideal place for medical tourists from neighboring countries that are short of these services, as well as those from Central Asian republics and countries such as Libya.
