Turkey is an ideal destination with a charming and picturesque nature and its location is distinguished being between Europe and Asia, It is certainly not only advanced in historical tourism, But it also offer medical tourism, offering advanced medical services at very low price compared to other European countries, and the Turkish health sector is one of the most advanced sectors in the world, and one of the most advanced therapeutic medical systems at present, using advanced technologies and a very high level of efficiency, also because of the sources of medical tourism in Turkey, both the natural and medical, such as natural springs or specialized centers, both presence have been instrumental in increasing the proportion of tourism to unforeseen levels. Medical tourism has become one of the most important pillars on which Turkey relies on to increase the number of tourists per year.
Medical tourism:
it’s a process where the tourist combines the desire to travel outside his country and exploit his stay as a tourist in other countries to cure or fix, physically, psychologically or mentally issues.
Medical Tourism Branches:
1)Medical tourism: It depends on the group wishing to benefit from medical care in centers and hospitals equipped with state-of-the-art technologies and equipment for the treatment of chronic diseases.
2) therapeutic tourism: This type depends on the natural resources available for treating and curing chronic diseases, by going to touristy places like hot springs that are rich in minerals , or visiting the sandy beaches that help in the treatment of skin diseases and eczema, these natural resources are widespread in Turkey.
The benefits of medical tourism in Turkey:
Turkey is one of the global competitors in the field of medical tourism, Because of the natural resources it enjoys and the development of new sources, which has attracted more tourists.
Medical tourism in Turkey has also been characterized by a number of features:
- The presence of competent doctors who speak different languages.
- The presence of medical centers that competes with the largest international centers.
- The presence of a large number of medical centers specializing in cosmetics.
- Medical centers are equipped to perform all surgical procedures.
- There are many tourist agencies that organize therapeutic tourism trips in Turkey
- The costs of surgery and cosmetic surgery are not high compared to other European countries, while ensuring that the results are distinctly good.
- The presence of springs that contributes to healing and is treated with great care, turkey is the number one country on the European level in terms of the number of natural springs of about 1500, It also ranks third in terms of facilities that are known for treatment with mineral water.
The most prominent medical fields in Turkey:
There is no doubt that Turkey has gained great popularity in the medical field thanks to the distinguished performance of doctors in the medical centers, where they were able to achieve more than excellent results in all types of surgery which are:
Eye surgery
Some centers perform eye surgery, and there are many types, including lasik and femto lasik, which is performed with almost 100% success rate.
Hair transplantation
This field has contributed to a significant increase in the rate of medical tourism in Turkey and a record period of time, medical centers specializing in hair transplantation have achieved great success rate of over 90% for scalp, mustache, beard, eyelashes and eyebrows, thanks to having doctors with high experience and medical centers that are equipped with all equipment and modern technology.
Dental surgery
dental implants and cosmetics are the most sought-after type of treatments in Turkey, especially since most Arab celebrities and artists have conducted such surgeries at Turkish medical centers.
Photo by Peter Kasprzykon Unsplash
Facial cosmetic surgery
The cosmetic operations in Turkey are carried out with high-precision equipment, allowing for eyelid ,facial and neck tightening to be performed, and wrinkles concealment or lifting eyebrows, and ear or nose reduction or enlargement, these surgeries are performed either for cosmetic purposes or for the treatment of deformity.
Body cosmetic surgery
There are several sections of body cosmetic surgeries such as:
-skin tightening around the arms, buttocks, thighs, and fat removal
-Breast augmentation and beautification,this surgery is a meticulous type of surgery supervised by the best surgeons in Turkey to ensure the success of the operation without any problems that could cause life-long disabilities.
-Stomach reduction surgery with the goal of weight loss, for those with a high body weight gaining problem, and this type of body surgery is the most attractive for tourists from the Arab world, because the Turkish centers are the most experienced in this field.
Turkish cities that are attractive for medical tourism:
Tourists prefer to go to Istanbul, Antalya, Ankara for medical tourism
the city of Istanbul is the most visited tourist city, according to data from the international medical Tourism Association in Istanbul, as well as the areas where therapeutic springs are available.
Turkish hospitals:
Turkey has more than 30 medical facilities accredited by the International Committees, the largest number of accreditation received by any country in the world for hospitals providing medical tourism. These medical facilities are equipped with the latest medical technologies and medical staff with the highest certification and it ensures that high-quality of services provided by these hospitals and their medical staff are provided for travelers.
Top medical destinations where tourists can benefit from medical tourism:
The JCI accredited medical center, JCI, is one of the most famous medical centers. The place is characterized by the development of its medical services, the skill of its doctors and the number of surgical operations it has conducted with complete success.
There are many hospitals and doctors who are highly skilled in the execution of surgery such as:
Hessar Intercontinental Hospital, Kajiner, Medibol Meja, Medicana Çamlıca Hospital, Yeditepe Üniversitesi Hastanesi Hospital, which offers treatment for all diseases using advanced technology. Hospitals that deal with serious diseases include: Özel Medical Park Göztepe, a specialist in the treatment and diagnosis of cancer, and there is also NP ISTANBUL hospital specialized in the treatment of brain diseases.
Photo by Daniel Frankon Unsplash
The Turkish government’s interest in medical tourism:
Turkey is considered one of the world’s leaders in medical tourism, medical tourism one of the main pillars of the economy and a major source of national income,Therefore turkey has given great importance to this type of tourism, In 2015, the Turkish government approved the formation of a coordinating council consisting of several ministries, which aims at organizing the medical tourism business and granting certification to the experienced hospitals, Turkey has also stepped up advertising campaigns overseas to attract the largest number of foreign tourists. Turkey is seeking to attract millions of medical tourists in its 2023 plan, becoming the first official destination in the world of medical tourism globally rather than the current leader the United States of America.
Some tips on medical tourism in Turkey:
-Visit the website of the Turkish Health Care Board (THTC) and make sure of which hospitals are approved .
-Confirm the doctors and treatment centers certification online before you travel.