Europe’s medical tourism is shifting towards Turkey, according to the general manager of an Ankara-based health organization.
Many cities in Turkey provide medical tourism for foreigners, led by tourism centers such as Istanbul, Antalya and Ankara, said Ali Yakut, general manager of healthineverywhere.com.
Consumers can choose appropriate health services on the website, which shares information about different services of leading health institutions in Turkey, he added.
The organization, in addition, provides support for those who need accommodation, transfer and translation requirements, he noted.
Global market size for medical tourism has recently reached $100 billion annually, with consumer spending estimated to average $10,000 per person. They range from dental health and hair transplantation to thermal spas and aesthetic surgeries.
Turkey has come to the forefront in medical tourism with competitive prices and successful operation rates, on top of its rich heritage as a cultural destination for tourists. It provides medical services to around 1.2 million tourists that come from Europe.
Foreign tourists who come to Turkey prefer medical services the most in fields of aesthetic surgeries, hair transplantation, heart surgery, orthopaedics, oncology, dental health and in vitro fertilization.
Yakut said the number of British visitors coming to Turkey for medical tourism is increasing every year, which rose from a few thousand in 2010 to tens of thousands today.
“Turkey is one of the top 10 countries that British citizens get medical treatment. As the pandemic ends, combined with Turkey’s growing medical infrastructure and success in hotels and hospitality, it will change this ranking in a short period. Turkey’s target is climbing to the top 5. With the healthineverywhere.com platform, we want to increase the medical tourism potential between the two countries,” he said.
Yakut noted that a group of doctors from the UK and Ireland would come to Turkey in March for training.
Source: AA
