In parallel with the high level of education and welfare in developed countries, the provision of health services is also high cost. Although the share of health needs and health expenses of the aging population in these countries increases day by day, these increasing social security expenditures force social security institutions. In order to overcome these cost constraints, efforts of social security institutions and private insurance institutions in developed countries to provide quality medical services and to get low-cost health services by making package agreements with countries in the near future are seen.
Turkey; it has relative advantages in terms of climate, price, security and transportation; It is in an extraordinarily advantageous position in terms of medical tourism, spa & wellness and spa tourism, advanced age and sports tourism and has the qualities to appeal to all segments. In addition, geographical proximity, is situated in the position to become a major health and thermal tourism destination country for nature and not due to climatic conditions and cultural factors are also taken into consideration when the similarity Turkey Middle East countries in their countries.
With the development of health tourism, investments in this field have started to accelerate in our country. Many eye hospitals have started new projects in the Mediterranean and Aegean, especially with the interest of foreign tourists in laser eye surgery.
In recent years, the development of modern technology with state-supported new investments in Turkey Istanbul, Ankara and has improved the quality of the national health service in Izmir. In this case, as a natural result of Turkey; It is a market for medical tourism in Europe, the Middle East and Russia. In addition, due to its location, it attracts the attention of low-income countries of Europe such as Albania and former Soviet bloc countries such as Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
countries sending patients to Turkey when examined in five groups;
Countries with a large Turkish population due to various reasons (such as Germany, the Netherlands, France),
Developing countries (such as Balkan Countries, Turkic Republics in Central Asia) that suffer from service shortages due to lack of infrastructure and physicians,
Countries where healthcare services are expensive and patients who demand services not covered by insurance (such as America, England, Germany),
Countries with long waiting queues due to insufficient supply-demand balance (such as England, Netherlands and Canada),
free a certain number of countries sending patients to Turkey in the framework of bilateral agreements (Afghanistan, Yemen, Sudan).
The medical services provided in Turkey is generally as follows;
– Dental Surgery,
– IVF applications,
– Aesthetic and Plastic Operations,
– Hair Transplant.
In terms of thermal tourism in Turkey # 7 in the world has geothermal resources. Thermal and spa-wellness tourism is perhaps the oldest type of health tourism in records. People went to places where thermal springs are available for treatment. According to the data of 2006, 8 million people annually travel in Germany or abroad for treatment or spa-wellness purposes in thermal springs.
According to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2006 the number of arrivals from abroad for the purpose of thermal tourism in Turkey is around 10,000 health tourists. a thermal source 46 to around 200 plants in Turkey yl be able to have satisfactory as these figures are potentially striking position.
In 2011, while the number of international patients in Turkey in the field of health services for the year 2012, this number was 261 999 156 176 approximately. This means approximately 68% increase.
Health Promotion in the Ministry of Health regarding health tourism Department of Health Tourism in Turkey is the Directorate General.
especially on health tourism in Turkey is constantly cooperation and coordination between the Ministries of Culture and Tourism and Health. At the same time, the responsibility area of the Ministry of Health increases in administrative, technical, business and control issues, while the responsibility area of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is expanding in investment (incentive), investment site planning (zoning legislation) and promotion.
