Turkey is one of the oldest favorite worldwide destinations among travel enthusiasts. The country offers a wide variety of landscapes and experiences and it is a well-known country for the unsurprisingly high number of expats that decide to move to. Being a host for hundreds of years for globetrotters, the country’s infrastructure has been strengthened in order to attract more and more tourists.

Geographically, Turkey is situated in the center of the World. In terms of transports, Turkey is the bias between destinations worldwide. It is the center of commercial flights as most of the air trips from a location in the world to another far away location are connected in Istanbul’s Airport. Therefore, reaching Turkey from any corner of the world is very accessible to anyone. 

Beside the long list of cultural and natural landmarks and the luxurious all inclusive 5 stars hotels, Turkey has developed a powerful medical tourism environment, that has put it on the pole position of the most competitive countries to get medical treatments in.

Turkey’s Healthcare “Bazaar”

Turkey is aware of the value of good health state and it has developed a widespread advanced medical infrastructure across its borders. Turkey has been continuously reforming its healthcare system and has attracted numerous investments that sum up to more than 30 billion USD.

Turkey's medical infrastructure consists of public hospitals, University owned hospitals and private hospitals. One of the main strategic reasons that have made Turkey's health care market an worldwide favourite destination are that it has 50 JCI (Joint Commission International) accredited hospitals equipped with modern facilities that provide with high quality health services at very affordable prices. Almost 35% of the doctors that work in these hospitals have Western trainings.

Turkey's price competitiveness, high standards in health and hygiene, tourist service infrastructure and air transport infrastructure are very important factors which help in deciding the destination for medical treatments. Turkey is in a central location, only 2-3 hours from major cities in Europe and the Middle East. Turkey has made efforts in developing its medical tourism sector by implementing policies that facilitate tourists resulting in visa-free access to more than 70 countries and that citizens from more than 110 countries can enter with an easily obtained visa, which is available from 90 to 180 days.

Annually, more than 500.000 medical tourists from countries such as USA, Greece, Germany, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Holland, Norway, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Algeria, China, Finland, South Africa, Iraq, Japan, Romania, Kuwait, Libya, Egypt, Russia, Turkmenistan, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Syria and others choose to get treatments and different medical services in Turkey. 

Turkey offers a wide range of medical procedures and services to foreign patients in areas such of cosmetic and plastic surgery, obesity and bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery), organ transplants, bone marrow transplants, general and aesthetic dentistry, IVF (in-vitro fertilization) treatments, psoriasis treatments, sleep disorders or cancer treatments.

In comparison to EU and US countries, the cost of medical treatments is in average between 50% and 60% less in Turkey. For example, the hair transplant procedure costs 4.000 USD and 15.000 USD in the United States, while the costs for the same procedure costs between 320 USD to 4300 USD in Turkey. The cost of medical treatment in Turkey is also cheaper than other countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.

In terms of cancer treatments, Turkish specialists carry out surgical removal of tumors, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. The doctors use CyberKnife and TrueBeam instruments for radiotherapy. These kind of radiotherapy gives a positive outcome in 85% of cases.

Another specialization of Turkish doctors is in bone marrow transplants and their success rate is 90%. The experts carry out allogeneic transplantation from the donor and autologous using the patient’s own cells. The price of the procedure in Turkey is starting from $ 50,000, which is lower compared to Israel – starting $ 68,000. Also, in terms of Neurosurgery Turkish doctors perform deep brain stimulation (DBS) – 98% effectiveness and vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) for Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy treatment.

Examples of Turkish peak performance Clinics and Hospitals

For more information about Turkish hospitals see this link

Anadolu Medical Center

Anadolu Medical Center is one multidisciplinary hospital ranked among the Top 10 hospitals in the world, according to the Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA), known for providing medical services at American standards and at affordable prices. Anadolu Medical Center is affiliated it Johns Hopkins Hospital from Baltimore, USA. One of the goals of this partnership is that the medical staff of Anadolu Medical Center is highly specialized in various treatments for diverse diseases as they are trained at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Anadolu Medical Center is equipped with the latest most innovative medical devices for precise diagnosis and treatment, the CyberKnife and Truebeam for radiation therapy, for accurate screenings, the doctors have available Flash-CT, PET-CT, and MRI 3 Tesla, while the surgeries are assisted by the Da Vinci robot. Usually, as soon as a new medical equipment appears on the market, Anadolu Medical Center is one of the first buyers.

One very important fact about Anadolu Medical Center is that its doctors use the liquid biopsy (or Circulating Tumor Cells – CTC) in order to detect cancer even if the tumor is as small as 5mm when any other way of diagnosis could not determine it.

LIV Hospital

LIV Hospital Group is one of the top choice hospitals in Turkey. It is a multi-specialized facility well-performing in the areas of cancer treatments, weight loss surgeries, neurosurgeries, heart surgeries, and orthopedics. LIV Hospital benefits from innovative medical equipments such as the Da Vinci robot, MAKOplasty, which is used for knee replacements, the YAG Laser, which is used for vascular surgeries, and virtual angiography system, which is used in order to determine cardiac diagnostics.

The LIV Hospital Group's Bone Marrow Transplant Center has performed more than 1.000 interventions and they can provide with transplants such as both autologous (using the patient’s own cells) or allogenic (both from related or unrelated donors).

Its Cancer Center benefits from the newest TrueBeamSTx system that receives live images from the patient's body and it acts only on the affected area without altering the surrounding tissues. Also, in terms of chemotherapy, the doctors use the Cold Cap Therapy in order to preserve the patient's hair. A special cap is cooling the scalp and narrows down the vessels, while reducing the level of chemicals that intrude them.

LIV Hospital Robotic Surgery Center is chosen as a Center of Excellence by the Surgical Review Corporation (SRC) as a place of exceptional quality, safety, outcome, and care. Moreover, its specialists have performed more than 250 neurosurgeries with a survival rate of 91%.

Furthermore, the well advanced Turkish health care market consists of the plastic surgeries market as well. Turkey is also an important world’s plastic surgery market center. It is host of Estetik International Clinic, which was founded in 1999, in Istanbul, one of the largest plastic surgery centers in Turkey. Beside the fact that the clinic is specialized in face, body, and breast surgeries and hair transplants, its founder, Prof. Bulent Cihantimur (one of the top 50 plastic surgeons in the world), is the inventor of the “Spider Web” facelift method.

The “Spider Web” non-surgical method was developed in order to facilitate the process of face, arms, breast, belly, and buttock skin revigoration. The “Spider Web” plastic procedure is developed to usually last up to 20 minutes and it is one of the many plastic procedures that are painless and scars free.

Acibadem Hospital

The Acibadem Group began its working in the healthcare services industry with one hospital in a modest area on Istanbul's Asian side. Today, the Acibadem Group is a global brand that has established itself as one of the top institutions in the field of healthcare via the establishment of 22 hospitals, 18 medical clinics, and other firms that give assistance to hospitals. 

As a result of its quick expansion, the business was able to strike a significant cooperation with the world's second-biggest health care organization chain in 2012.

In 2011, the business began expanding its operations outside of Turkey by acquiring Acibadem Cestesna Hospital in Skopje, Macedonia. Following this initial investment, the Acibadem Group added the Bulgarian hospitals of the Tokuda Group and the City Clinic Group to its hospital portfolio in 2016. 

As a result, the Acibadem Healthcare Group grew to become Bulgaria's largest healthcare provider. The Acibadem Group's International Medical Center, which covers an area of 5,000 square meters, was built and launched in the heart of the Dutch city, Amsterdam, in 2017.

Medicana Hospital

The indoor space of Medicana International Istanbul is 30,000 m2. It is divided into two departments that are linked by inpatient and outpatient floors. Our hospital was designed with the capability and technical features to serve patients from Istanbul, the Thrace Region, and Europe.

Medicana International Istanbul Hospital is a competitive hospital based on its sector position, emphasizing physicians with academic titles, doctors, technology infrastructure (general intensive care, CVS, neonatal), devices, specialty departments and clinics, and hotel services.

Memorial Hospital

At Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center, we strive to create a compassionate, caring workforce in order to provide you with exceptional health care services that result in positive outcomes and a happy experience. Memorial Hospital has received the 2018 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Honor, a presidential award for excellence, as well as Magnet designation on April 23, 2020, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to high-quality nursing practice.

Medipol Hospital

Medipol University Hospital is Turkey's largest private health investment as a university hospital incorporating General, Cardiovascular Surgery, Oncology, and Dental hospitals. Medipol University Hospital attracts attention with its modern architecture intelligent building technology and advanced medical equipment and bears the distinction of being one of Turkey's best hospitals with a new generation of technology. Medipol University Hospital is a new reference point in the health sector on both a national and worldwide scale.

The Medipol University Hospital has 470 beds. 133-bed Intensive Care Units (General, Coronary, CVC, and Neonatal Intensive Care) supported by an infrastructure outfitted with sophisticated systems and technology. Medipol University Hospital, which has the most departments among hospitals in Turkey, offers a patient-centered superior service approach. The facility is also outfitted with cutting-edge equipment that allows for simultaneous surgeries in 25 operating rooms.

Medical Park

Premium rehabilitation institutions in Medical Park specialize in pre-and post-operative rehabilitation for orthopedics, sports medicine, neurology, internal medicine, cardiology, cancer, pediatric neurology, and psychosomatic medicine. The Rehabilitation Hospitals at Medical Park provide a synergistic blend of sophisticated medical research and novel therapies.

Medical Park understands the significance of the surrounding environment in the healing process. Using a holistic approach, our goal is to create a fully supportive environment that includes contemporary amenities, picturesque hospital sites, and pleasant employees.

NP Istanbul Brain Hospital

NP Brain Hospital is the first private neuropsychiatric hospital in Turkey and the second in Europe, specializing in the treatment of brain illnesses through neurosurgery, psychiatry, and neurology.

Dr. Mustafa Bozbuga, an accomplished neurosurgeon, works at the hospital and successfully performs procedures on the most complicated brain tumors. The hospital boasts cutting-edge technology infrastructure. During procedures, for example, neuronavigation is employed to gain the best perspective of the operative field. This, in particular, ensures that the best possible outcome of the procedure is obtained.

Many Experts Medical patients have had tumor removal surgeries completed successfully at NP Brain Hospital. Our patients are pleased with the treatment outcomes and are pleasantly surprised by the excellent level of service and the staff's genuine attitude.

The hospital collaborates with Uskudar University on a range of research initiatives, allowing it to keep current on the most cutting-edge therapeutic techniques and effectively utilize them in patient care. For the first time, novel therapeutic procedures such as "therapy by evaluating brain function" and "positive thinking medicine" were used at NP. In diagnoses and therapy, the hospital is the only one in Istanbul that use a pharmacogenetic approach (therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM)). In Turkey, NP Brain Hospital has been a pioneer in the deployment of neuromodulation operations aimed at assessing brain function through stimulation.

Dunyagoz Hospitals Group

Since December 2007, Dunyagoz Hospitals Group has been providing answers to all types of ocular and periocular health problems 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with hundreds of various treatment methods supplied in all eye-related areas. In 1996, Dunyagoz Hospitals Group opened its first branch in Levent, ushering in a new age of branch hospital services in our country.

In order to provide better services to its patients, the Group moved to its purpose-constructed facility in Etiler in December 2007 after consistently upgrading its quality standards and making new investments every year. Dünyagöz Etiler provides comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services in all eye-related sectors with its modern technology-equipped machines, professional medical personnel, and team.

Dünyagöz Etiler, as the engine of Dunyagoz Hospitals Group, manages all of the Group's operational operations and makes all investment choices, and implements them. It offers ocular health treatments not only to local patients but also to thousands of international patients from all over the world. As a result, it is one of the Dunyagoz Hospitals Group's pioneer branches in terms of medical tourism. To acquire more information about the services offered by Dunyagoz Etiler, you may contact the call center, fill out an information form, or seek assistance from online support.

Medistate Hospital

Medistate is an exceptional healthcare organization in Istanbul that has achieved several contemporary medicine milestones in Turkey. Medistate Clinic has been formally certified by the Joint Commission International (JCI) and was the first in Turkey to get the 5th edition of the JCI criteria.

The Turkish Medical Services Clinic consistently sets the standard in its industry by delivering high-quality medical treatment to individuals in both the European and Asian areas of the world via its professional approach to healthcare and the use of innovative equipment.

This medical center may be found in the Beykoz area (Kavacik district). Beykoz is an oasis in Istanbul, a location where stunning nature and calm coexist. You may enjoy all the pleasures of Turkish treatment here, between the Bosphorus and the Black Sea.

American Hospital

American Hospital was created in 1920 as Turkey's first non-profit private hospital by US Navy Admiral L. Bristol, and it has had a long and respected history since then.

With 241 beds, 41 intensive care beds, and 12 operating rooms, American Hospital combines 97 years of collected knowledge and expertise with cutting-edge technology to deliver quality-focused health services in all medical and surgical disciplines.

In addition to 15,000 inpatients each year, we serve approximately 130,000 outpatients each year, with one-fifth of them being foreign patients from all over the world. Every year, almost 9,000 surgeries across the whole surgical spectrum are done.

American Hospital was reaccredited by Joint Commission International for the sixth time in July 2018. Superbrands, a worldwide independent authority in the domains of brand management and marketing, named American Hospital one of Turkey's Superbrands in 2015.

Koc UH

Koc University Hospital opened its doors in September 2014 as a research and training facility. With the completion of the Health Sciences Campus's second phase, the hospital's capacity expanded to 404 inpatient rooms and 73 critical care unit beds.

With its innovative approach and dynamic team at North American standards, Health Sciences Campus, which includes a medical school, nursing school, research laboratories, and advanced learning center, aims to contribute to qualified human capital in the healthcare sector with its 220.000 m2 net area.

Conclusion

Turkish health care market is one of the world's most advanced. Its competitive advantage against the health care markets from countries more economically developed is that the health care services provided in Turkey respect the world’s highest medical standards, but for affordable prices.

As Turkey is geographically situated in the center of the Globe, it is an accessible destination for patients worldwide and with all kinds of financial possibilities.

The language is no longer a barrier in seeking treatments in Turkey as most of the doctors are literate in English and as long as most of the hospitals and clinics do have translation services in their portfolios.

Turkey is a treasure chest for those seeking for all kinds of treatments or any other kind of medical procedures at affordable prices. It is best to get consultation from a team of specialists in order to find the best and most suitable pack of medical and related to services in Turkey, as the market is very complex.

The advancement of health care market in Turkey is one of the main reasons for which the medical tourism exists.