Medical tourism in Turkey is exploding, but one sector in particular has stood out from the rest in terms of performance: aesthetic and health care. Medical tourism in Turkey is booming, with people from all over the world traveling to regions like Istanbul and Antalya for visits.

Indeed, for several years, expatriates and tourists have been using Turkish dentists and surgeons, thanks to their ultra-competitive prices, for a similar result than in the West and a higher quality of service.

Known as medical tourism, the expression for this field of activity was coined several years ago, the World Trade Organization says there is no agreed definition or exact meaning for this expression. It applies to people traveling with a view to enjoying medical services such as dental care, cosmetic and plastic surgery, laser operation as well as for hair transplants in particular.

A medical stay in Turkey also allows you to go sightseeing and spend a week’s vacation in a beautiful country to visit the surroundings and relax in an all-inclusive hotel all this for less than an equivalent operation in France plane tickets understood, which largely explains the popularity of these formulas.

From January to September 2017, Turkey’s health tourism revenue reached the whopping figure of $ 600 million. 315,000 people of all nationalities were treated in clinics across the country. While other travel sectors were unable to beat their annual records, health tourism pulverized the results achieved in 2015 and 2016.

The reasons of Medical tourism in Turkey success

In a world where people care more about their bodies than ever before, the demand for cosmetic surgery and other similar procedures has never been greater. Previously, only the rich and famous of Beverly Hills could afford cosmetic surgery, but like most lucrative trends, they always end up democratizing to reach individuals for ever more profit.

Faced with this demand, TURSAB, the association of Turkish travel agencies, affirms that Turkey offers the same qualities of operations as Western countries, but at half the price. This saving can amount to thousands of dollars, pounds sterling or other currencies and also allows patients to take vacations.

Statistics show that on vacation, a medical tourist will spend four times more money than an average tourist. That is why the Turkish government is promoting this industry through promotion and advertising campaigns globally. Turkish airlines also offer discounted health care and cosmetic treatments to their regular travelers. This publicity has borne fruit, for today entering into the mores and the general collective unconscious especially for hair transplant operations the first thing that we think of for this kind of intervention is Turkey.

Another reason is Turkey’s geographical position in the world. Attracting nationalities from the East and the West, while receiving medical tourists from Europe and Russia, people from countries like Kuwait, Dubai and Lebanon, traveled, not so much for the cost, but for the quality of the interventions. These nationalities have particularly boosted the hair transplant industry in Turkey.

Finally, Turkish hospitality is one of the main reasons for the excellent results in the field of tourism in general. Rather than simply performing the procedure and leaving the patients to fend for themselves, clinics and hospitals organize the entire process, from reception at the airport, through hotels, post-treatment. -operations, sightseeing tours, meal reservations, etc. a real service with little onions.

Things to check before surgery in Turkey

Medical tourism industry in Turkey is highly regulated, but as with any medical procedure, patients should educate themselves beforehand to ensure that they will get the best possible service. They must ensure that the medical facilities and the skills of the clinic staff they choose are up to standard.

One way to do this is to search for Turkish hospitals with JCI accreditation at worldhospitalsearch.org. Here is what they say about the value of the JCI accreditation which 42 Turkish hospitals have received.

Joint Commission International (JCI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality and safety of patient care around the world. One of the ways to improve global health care is to accredit the small number of hospitals and health care organizations capable of meeting our exacting standards. “

Another source is the website of the THTC, ie the Turkish Healthcare Travel Council. It lists over 317 members in the top fifteen medical tourism destinations in Turkey, including Istanbul, Alanya, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Mugla, Gaziantep and Northern Cyprus.

Finally, search the Internet for reviews and testimonials from the establishment that interests you. If you decide to go ahead, clarify in writing the exact procedure, the cost, and what it includes.

The future of medical tourism in Turkey

The health tourism industry in Turkey is part of the “Vision 2023” plan, a set of goals that the Turkish government wants to achieve by 2023. Currently, Turkey ranks fourth in the world for medical tourism, on the basis of the number of visitors and the revenue it generates for the Turkish economy.

They’re not content with this already impressive ranking and want to be number one by 2023, with a transaction volume of $ 20 billion per year. With regard to the future, one of the target markets is that of the 22 countries of the African continent.