Health Tourism and the Shining Star of the World; Turkey

WHAT IS HEALTH TOURISM?
Health tourism, in its broadest sense, is a phenomenon that includes individuals traveling from their country of residence to another country in order to receive the medical treatment and/or preventive health measures they need, and to reach rehabilitation services or services that will make them feel good. to benefit from healthy and thermal resources.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), headquartered in Madrid, Spain, defines the agreed upon definition of Health Tourism as follows: “The primary motivation is medical and wellness-based activities that increase the capacity of individuals to meet their own needs and function better in their environment and society. forms of tourism that contribute to physical, mental and spiritual health through”

HEALTH TOURISM IN TURKEY FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS
Health tourism is not a concept that has emerged in the recent past, as is generally thought, but a human mobility that has its origins in ancient times. One of the most important pioneers of health tourism, the first examples of which date back thousands of years, is located in Turkey. Today, in Bergama, one of the most important historical and touristic regions of Turkey, BC. IV. The Asclepieion temple, which was founded in the 19th century, stands out as the most important example of health tourism.

The temple, which was built in the name of Asclepius, the god of medicine in Ancient Greece, was the leading school of the period where research and experiments were carried out in the field of medicine, as well as its religious features. The complex, which was established, had a reputation as the most important treatment center in Western Anatolia with its advanced architectural layout and applied treatment methods, and became a center of attraction for people seeking treatment.

It is also known that there were health centers in Ancient Egypt and that people from different regions came here for treatment.

Since the 17th and 18th centuries, important steps have been taken in terms of health tourism, especially in Europe. Since the age of enlightenment, the acceleration of scientific developments, the progress of medicine, provides revolutionary steps in the field of health. In the 1800s, centers were established in the mountainous regions of Europe for the treatment and rehabilitation of lung diseases such as tuberculosis.

HEALTH TOURISM TODAY
Health tourism in the modern sense has taken its place in the world literature since the second half of the 20th century. Health tourism, which is not only in the field of interest of medicine and tourism today, but also includes disciplines such as good governance, informatics, technology, finance, infrastructure and regulated by governments, is an area that covers the mobility of more than 30 million people as of the first quarter of the 2000s.

Turkey draws attention among the most preferred countries in the field of health tourism. According to the data of the Ministry of Health, Turkey, which is among the top 10 countries in health tourism preference in the world, stands out as the “shining star” of health tourism with its country advantages and high level of personal experience satisfaction.

WHY TURKEY IN HEALTH TOURISM?
The main reasons that make Turkey’s preference for health tourism come to the fore can be listed as follows:

Turkey can be easily reached by a population of more than 1 billion from 57 countries, with a maximum flight distance of 4 hours in its immediate surroundings.

The current historical and natural tourism potential of Turkey, which has hosted the most important centers of world civilization for thousands of years, also creates an attraction for health tourism.

In addition to its natural beauties, Turkey is in a livable geographical location in terms of climatic conditions, regardless of seasonal restrictions. Four seasons, 12 months of the year, transportation, and air conditions with high quality of life are one of the prominent features of Turkey.

Public and private sector health institutions in Turkey, which closely follow the developments in the field of medicine and technology in the world, can realize innovation in the health sector faster and more efficiently than many countries.

Especially since the beginning of the 2000s, the state’s regulations, investment, and incentive practices in the field of health have played an important role in Turkey’s rise to a developed position in the medical sector. In this sense, Turkey can provide fast, low-cost-high-capacity and quality health services to both its own citizens and all citizens of the world.

Turkey, with its young and dynamic population, has a qualified human resource for the need for medical personnel. All healthcare professionals, especially physicians, are among the world’s most preferred qualified personnel in the field of healthcare, following their high-standard education.

Turkey stands out in the world in terms of affordability of health costs. The costs of medical operations and treatments, which are met with very high costs in many countries of the world, are offered with attractive price differences in Turkey.

Turkey stands out with its disciplined and meticulous actions in terms of accreditation, which is one of the most important issues in health tourism. Turkey, which attaches importance to international standards, certifications, and accreditations, draws attention with its quality health centers and facilities that fully comply with the regulations of world-renowned institutions and organizations.

As a result, Turkey, which has very important advantages in terms of health tourism and evaluates them in the most efficient way, is the reason for the preference of an increasing number of world citizens every year.

WHO PREFERS TURKEY FOR HEALTH TOURISM?

Those who want to receive all kinds of medical treatment/operation/care services that are out of the scope of health insurance in many countries and can be performed at high costs, with easily affordable budgets.

Those who cannot get the medical service they need on time due to long waiting times in their country. Because Turkey is one of the rare countries that can perform very important medical treatments and operations quickly with short waiting times. For example, while a British citizen experiences a waiting period of 4-5 months in his country for a hip replacement, this waiting period in Turkey varies between one week and 10 days.

Those aiming for fast and reliable diagnosis and treatment in all kinds of medical conditions. The advanced health sector in Turkey is another reason for preference with its high accuracy rates in diagnosis and treatment with the latest technologies. Medical Tourism Association 2021, a global non-profit association, reports that more than 2000 medical treatments and services are provided under 274 main headings in health institutions with international accreditation in Turkey.

Those who want to receive world-class, high-quality medical services. Turkey is one of the leading countries in the world in the field of medicine, with its health sector, which has been providing high-level service for years by fully fulfilling both the strict domestic government regulations and the requirements of international accreditations.

Those who want personalized service. Turkey is one of the most important countries in the health sector where personalized service is provided in full and at high quality. In addition to the accumulation of well-trained and qualified health personnel, traditional Turkish hospitality is one of the factors that make Turkey stand out in this regard.

The services of qualified intermediary institutions are also one of the important reasons for those who prefer Turkey for health tourism. Intermediary institutions, which have health tourism authorization certificates and are included in international accreditation institutions, provide full service from the first day of the people who come to Turkey for treatment until the moment they leave the country.

HEALTH TOURISM WITH PMC TURKEY

PMC Turkey is a medical tourism company that focuses on providing high standards of medical treatment/operation/care services to individuals who choose to come to Turkey from all over the world within the scope of health tourism.

Aiming the highest satisfaction/benefit ratio of health tourism in Turkey with the most affordable cost in cooperation with health professionals with a deep-rooted operational tourism experience, PMC Turkey is committed to international standards to all its customers.

PMC Turkey carries out all its organizations to meet all the expectations of patients and their relatives, with wide-ranging collaborations that respond to all kinds of medical needs that may be provided in Turkey.

PMC Turkey, which has the authorization certificate of the Ministry of Health, cooperates only with health institutions and facilities that have international accreditations.

Putting individuals who will receive health care services at the center of its operations, PMC Turkey provides integrated consultancy to its customers on health and tourism issues.

PMC Turkey operations start with the contact of the person who wants to get health tourism service from the PMC Turkey hotline.

PMC Turkey provides detailed and attentive services before, during and after treatment to applicants from all over the world, and provides transfer, accommodation, and tour organization services in all processes.

PMC Turkey ensures that the best health institution/facility is determined at the most affordable cost by first determining the current situation in pre-treatment services. PMC Turkey professionals provide solution-oriented answers to all questions of clients, along with treatment offers and detailed explanations about physicians. Necessary appointments are made with the most accurate specialists through interviews. In this process, transfer and accommodation services are provided for patients and their relatives upon request. Patient admissions are organized as soon as preferred.

PMC Turkey stays in touch with the hospital staff, 24 hours a day, as well as the patients and their relatives during field operations as well as the patients and their relatives coming to Turkey.

PMC Turkey facilitates the communication flow of the patient with the doctors and relevant health personnel during the treatment. He undertakes the coordination of all medical procedures and appointments. Fulfilling religious requirements and requests, such as accompanying the patient at the clinic, organization of translation services, and offering halal and kosher certified food options are among the operations undertaken by PMC Turkey.

PMC Turkey continues its services after the completion of the treatment. PMC Turkey‘s job description includes completing the formalities of the patient’s discharge from the hospital, issuing prescriptions, and ordering necessary medications, providing medical reports and arranging the English translation of these reports upon request.

PMC Turkey also coordinates post-treatment follow-up appointments. In addition, the organization of the return trip of the patients and their relatives is also arranged by PMC Turkey.

PMC Turkey also organizes air ambulance and land ambulance transfers according to the needs and demands of the patients during all these operations.

PMC Turkey offers a wide variety of accommodation opportunities to patients and their relatives who prefer our country, in line with their demands. Five-star hotels, apartments, hospital residences are among the rich alternatives of PMC Turkey. The most appropriate accommodation is organized according to the needs and demands of the patients and their relatives, and 24-hour assistance and support is provided during the entire stay, along with the requested additional services.

In addition to all medical services and support, PMC Turkey also organizes tours depending on the treatment and programs of patients and their relatives. With its strong tourism operations infrastructure, PMC Turkey offers tours with professional tour guides in the preferred language to explore all the historical and natural beauties of both Istanbul and Turkey.

PMC Turkey works with the principle of personalized service in both health and tourism, with the belief that individuals must be healthy and happy for a good future all over the world. With PMC Turkey services, each person leaving Turkey healthy and happy is the most asset of our company.