Health tourism is people travelling to health centers or spas by traveling abroad to improve their physical condition for treatment, preventive services and aesthetic purposes. Turkey is among the leading countries in health tourism. In recent years, it has become an extremely attractive country with its developing technology in medical, thermal, disabled and elderly health services as well as aesthetic issues.
The Health Visa Cooperation Protocol was signed on 15 October 2021, to provide visa convenience for patients coming from abroad for health tourism purposes, and the Service Exporters' Association (HIB) was authorized for easy and fast progress of visa procedures.
The development of new treatment options in aesthetic practices and plastic surgery applications, the change of applications that will not leave people in a difficult situation economically, the increase in beauty and aesthetic awareness and technological developments have further increased the importance of health tourism in Turkey. At the same time, basic health indicators in Turkey are statistically higher when compared to OECD countries.
The main treatments preferred by foreign patients are: plastic and aesthetic operations, hair transplantation, eye surgeries, in vitro fertilization, open hearth surgeries, skin diseases, check-up, cancer treatments, ear-nose-throat treatments, dialysis, cardiovascular surgery, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, dentistry, physical therapy and rehabilitation. The fact that Turkey is a country with high quality and technology plays a role in this preference.
Visitors who prefer centres where treatment methods are applied can use the tourism opportunities of the regions they visit and benefit from the numerous holiday opportunities of Turkey.
Many regulations are being made to enable foreigners to come to Turkey for health tourism. Health Tourism Department of the General Directorate of Health Services was established under the Ministry of Health. All transactions related to health tourism, inter-intuitional coordination and development of health tourism are carried out by this institution. In addition to this, various regulations have been made in this legislation to facilitate the visit processes of foreigners who wish to come to Turkey for these purposes.
In the international health tourism health facility, international health tourism units are formed that are responsible for the coordination of the works and transactions related to the acceptance, registration, diagnosis, treatment, billing, discharge, translation and intermediary institutions of the international health tourist.
In recent years, medical tourism activities have been organized by the private sector in Turkey as well as in countries around the world that are interested in medical tourism. In accordance with the policy determined by the Health Tourism Department under the leadership of the Ministry of Health, a medical tourism approach has been adopted by the private sector.
In order for an institution to operate within the scope of international health tourism, the health facility and the intermediary institution must receive an international health tourism authorization certificate. Dünya Göz Hospital and Acıbadem Hospital can be given as examples of health facilities with health tourism authorization certificates. You can reach the list of hospitals with health tourism authorization certificate from the link below.
THERMAL TOURISM IN TURKEY
Turkey ranks seventh in the world and first in Europe as a source of thermal tourism, and there are well-equipped and well-established thermal hotels in Turkey. Compared to the thermal waters in Europe, thermal waters in Turkey show richer characteristics in term of quality due to their temperatures, various physical and chemical properties and flow rates.
Turkish baths, thermal spas, hot springs, historical healing houses, which are traditional examples of health services in Turkey, and the fact that the geography where our country is located has been the health centre of the region since ancient times shows the richness of our country's thermal and SPA wellness tourism potential.
IS THERE A SPECIAL UNIT FOR FOREIGN PATIENTS IN HOSPITALS IN TURKEY?
Yes, there is. In many state hospitals and private hospitals there are foreign-language speaking personnel to support foreign patients. International Patient Coordination Centres has been established in many hospitals by the Ministry of Health. Specially appointed personnel for foreign patients work in these centres. At the same time, by the Ministry of Health, health tourism department provides:
Interpreting services in Arabic, English, German and Russian, by calling 112 in case of emergency and 184 in case of complaints
Translation services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in hospitals.
IS THERE A RESPONSIBILITY OF HEALTH PERSONNEL IN TURKEY? HOW IS PATIENT SATISFACTION PROVIDED?
In Turkey, there is liability for the problems arising from all health personnel’s and medical devices, especially the responsibility of the medical doctor. For example, professional groups such as nurses, midwives, pharmacists, health technicians are also considered liable for their duties and jobs.
In the legal assessments made in the terms of responsibility of the medical doctor, faults and damages are determined. Then the patient’s aggrievement is compensated and satisfaction is tried to be achieved. The law to be applied in possible disputes regarding foreign patients is determined according to the provisions of International Private and Procedure Law. Accordingly, the law to be applied to the legal relationship between the patient and the doctor is determined and the dispute is resolved.
The nature of the contract between the parties in the operations performed for aesthetic purposes is accepted as the contract of work. In accordance with the provision of 73/1 of the Law No. 6502 on the Protection of the Consumer, the courts in charge of the disputes arising from the aesthetic surgeries performed in private hospitals or private clinics are generally the Consumer Courts.
It should also be noted that in case of any medical error, all of our doctors must have professional obligation insurance in order for the patient to receive instant compensation from the insurance and all of our doctors serve according to the national accreditation criteria.