Turkey tops list of medical tourism leaders

Tourists from all over the world are applying to the Turkish hospitals for various medical procedures. Over the past five years, their number has increased most notably.

The Ministry of Health hopes that the income from the medical tourism industry in the country will reach $20 billion by 2023. By the end of this year, the sector's growth may reach 15-20 percent.

"In recent years, the private hospitals sector in Turkey has grown rapidly. There are more modern and better-equipped hospitals. Foreign tourists apply to the hospitals, and it leads to an inflow of the foreign currency in our country," said the General Secretary of the Association of Private Hospitals Cevat Sengul. According to him, a set of medical services offered in Turkey, is bigger than in other countries, and because of it, the Turkish specialists have earned great reputation.

It is also important that treatment in Turkey may be followed by a quality rest. The tourists hope for that while ordering last-minute tours to Turkey. And mostly their expectations are met. However, the cost of medical services are usually paid separately, or you should initially focus on the medicine-related tours.

"The sector of medical tourism in Turkey is highly competitive due to the high qualification of doctors and the use of advanced technologies, as well as prices that are lower than in America or Europe," says Murat Yasar from Fatih University. Annually, the Research Hospital of the University receives 3,000 foreign patients from 115 countries of the world. Its staff can speak 13 languages.

The representatives of the Medical Park hospitals said that annually they take patients from 129 countries of the world. Most often they are accessed by patients from the Middle East, North Africa, Turkic Republics, Gulf countries and Balkans.