Wednesday, 26 October 2011 Reset
In the last decade, Turkey has invested heavily in the healthcare tourism sector, and the investments have paid off handsomely. According to the health ministry, close to half a million foreign patients visited Turkey in 2010. The country gained $850m from health tourism last year.
Many types of surgery are cheaper in Turkey than in Western countries. [Reuters]
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"Turkey can offer good quality treatment for low prices," Dr Tevfik Satir told SES Turkiye from Balikesir Devlet Hospital in Istanbul.
One of the most popular medical tourism sectors is cosmetic surgery. "Plastic surgery is a lot cheaper here. Breast implants cost around 2,000 euros. Liposuction is around 1,000 euros," Satir said.
Turkish hospitals have even begun advertising their services abroad. Some hospitals work together with tourism companies to set up packages for foreign patients.
Jinemed Hospital in Istanbul's Besiktas neighbourhood offers full package deals that include hotel, meals and treatment for patients.
"The price for the whole package is many times cheaper than the price for the treatment in the patient home country," Leyla Arvas, a doctor working at the private hospital, told SES Turkiye.
"We have a co-ordinator in the UK for our hospital," Arvas said. "That's why we get a lot of patients from the UK." Both Satir and Arvas treat several foreign patients every week.
Aside from the UK, most of the tourists come from Germany and the Arab countries, said Arvas.
"Turkish doctors are good because the medical schools are hard in Turkey," said Satir, who has also worked as a doctor in Norway and England.
Ozlem Baro, 26, a former employee of one Istanbul-based health tourism company, told SES Turkiye that interested foreign patients can go online, select a treatment and get a quote.
The company, Baro said, is always adding new hospitals to its list, due to demand.
With a growing number of hospitals joining the list, company representatives are not able to visit every one. Baro said, however, that the company's practice is to drop any hospital if bad experiences are reported.
However, the company allegedly did not always follow its own rules, Baro said.
Last December, after suffering a five-day, debilitating headache, Baro visited Istanbul's Alman Hastanesi, or German Hospital, which was recommended by her company.
An incorrectly performed injection before a brain scan forced Baro to spend the night on a saline drip and blood thinner, she said.
The bill she was handed the next morning came as a major surprise. Yet, her complaints to the hospital were ignored and her company continued recommending the hospital without hesitation.
Other patients have been luckier. Katy Shafig, a 32-year-old Iranian woman, had a good experience at the German hospital. "The doctor did a good job. He booked me a follow-up appointment. The doctor and the receptionist spoke English well," she said.
Foreign patients are easier, claims Satir. "Turks complain about many things. Foreigners are not so demanding. They won't come to you and ask for their money back."
Yet, he adds, all surgeries come with risks and some doctors are trying to do too much in too little time.
"One foreign patient died recently here. There is always a risk of complications," he said.
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Wednesday, 26 October 2011
By Alina Lehtinen for SES Turkiye in Istanbul
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