About 500,000 foreign patients were treated in Turkey in 2021, said Professor Omer Faruk Bilgen, member of the Supreme Advisory Council of the Turkish Health Tourism Development Council.
According to Bilgen, Turkey has invested heavily in the healthcare sector in recent years and has come a long way in the field of health tourism, implementing a number of projects in the field of transforming the medical services system.
“Last year about 500,000 patients from abroad visited Turkey for treatment. Thanks to health tourism, the country was provided with an inflow of foreign currency in the amount of about $1 billion. When it comes to tourism, tourists see our country not only in terms of sightseeing, but also as a country where you can get very good treatment. This also applies to European countries. And this is a very important achievement for us,” Bilgen said.
He noted that Turkey has become a sought-after country in the field of healthcare.
“Thanks to the implementation of projects to transform the healthcare system, the level of service in medical institutions has also increased. In addition, the level of knowledge of Turkish specialists has increased, as well as the level of hospitals providing services at the international level. And this is evidenced by the backlash. There is a strong demand in Turkish metropolitan areas, mainly in Istanbul,” Bilgen said.
Turkish hospitals received patients from 69 countries last year, he said.
In addition, Bilgen, who is also the chairman of the board of the private hospital Medicabil, said that Turkish doctors and visiting specialists from abroad have the opportunity to observe surgical operations.
“In our hospital alone, we have shared information with more than 750 doctors from abroad. Upon returning to their countries, they send their patients to Turkey. These are very positive changes for the health tourism of the country. I hope that in the coming years our potential will increase and there will be more patients,” he said.
