Europe’s medical tourism is shifting toward Turkiye 2022

Did you know that Turkiye is the leader in medical tourism in Europe? What are the most common procedures in Turkiye? Whether it is dental medical tourism in Turkiye or hair implants, Europe’s medical tourism is shifting toward Turkiye.

Turkish medical tourism, driven by Turkiye hair transplants, has become a booming sector, with more than 250,000 people trying the experiment every year. The growth of the sector has increased tenfold in just ten years! Europe’s medical tourism is shifting toward Turkiye.

The development of medical tourism accelerated considerably in Turkiye during the 2000s. It originates from the privatization of medicine, which began in the 1980s, and led to the “proliferation” of private hospitals from the 1990s onwards.

The number of private institutions doubled between 2000 and 2005, with 40% of them currently in Istanbul. In 2013, more than 600 private hospitals accommodated about 20% of the Turkish population. This increase in digital technology is causing fierce competition. The new tourism policy in force since the 1980s has increased the number of visitors from 5 million in the early 1990s to 31 million in 2011. The number of foreigners combining tourism and medical care also increased considerably during the 2000s. According to statistics, 500,000 medical tourists visited Turkiye in 2011 and spent five times more on average than simple tourists.

Europe’s medical tourism is shifting toward Turkiye since the 2000s

The 2000s saw an influx of patients from Iraq, Iran, and Syria, but also the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, such as Libya, Qatar, and Kuwait. In the late 2000s, patients began to arrive from the United States and Europe, attracted by the offers of low-cost care, the competence of surgeons, and the offer of luxury private hospitals.

Since the 1980s in Turkiye, health policies have favored curative medicine over preventive medicine. Hospitals have had to treat more seriously ill patients because regular check-ups have not screened them. The number of heavy and invasive operations, as well as the surgical skills of doctors, have increased accordingly while lowering the costs of surgery. As a result, many foreign patients choose Turkiye for their eye, dental, cardiovascular, or cosmetic surgery, and cancer treatment, including the removal of tumors.

Private hospitals have acquired state-of-the-art diagnostic and care technologies to attract more foreign patients, including robotic surgery and laser surgery, while regularly sending their doctors and nurses to train in Western countries. They have also partnered with or are accredited by prestigious medical institutions, such as Johns Hopkins University, resulting Europe’s medical tourism is shifting toward Turkiye. To promote their institutions abroad, some hospitals have set up coordination offices in the countries from which the most significant number of their patients come, while others regularly send coordinators there.

The Turkish government has also taken an interest in the issue by facilitating the arrival of foreign patients. As a result, Europe’s medical tourism is shifting toward Turkiye.

Why is Turkiye the best choice for medical tourism?

In recent years, Turkiye has experienced one of the strongest economic growth in the world. This has resulted in significant investments by the government in the area of health.

Now, Turkiye offers better quality treatments at a very attractive price compared to Europe, the United States, and other Western countries as Europe’s medical tourism is shifting toward Turkiye. As proof, the majority of visitors come from Europe, Africa, Russia, and the Gulf countries.

As Europe’s medical tourism is shifting toward Turkiye, Turkiye generated more than $4 billion in revenue from medical tourism in 2020.

The reasons for such success are numerous: experienced surgeons, incredible quality of services, innovative technology, advantageous prices…

The price of some surgeries is 80% cheaper in Turkiye. For example, Turkiye hair transplant prices are significantly more advantageous than in Europe. The preferred destinations are Istanbul, Antalya, İzmir, and Ankara.

When Europe’s medical tourism is shifting toward Turkiye, what are the most popular interventions in Turkiye?

Surgical operations vary depending on the complexes and goals of each patient. It is observed that most patients come to Turkiye to benefit from procedures such as:

• The laser operation of the eyes
• IVF
• Dermatological treatments
• However, the major motivations remain dental, hair, and aesthetic medical tourism.

Dental medical tourism in Istanbul

Turkiye has some of the best medical devices used in dental treatments. FDA-approved devices!

The treatment costs are incredibly reasonable. They are 50% to 60% lower than those offered in Europe. In addition, the clinics offer guarantees on implants and prostheses and provide excellent after-sales service in case of problems following the care.

Finally, the pick-up times are short. Indeed, patients can plan their trip and get treatment as soon as possible.

Medical hair tourism in Turkiye

One of the most popular procedure for men is hair transplantation. It is performed to mask baldness or alopecia by densifying sparse areas. This is the most commonly performed procedure in Turkiye. The result obtained is impressive.

Medical tourism for cosmetic surgery

The plastic surgery procedures that can be done in Turkiye are numerous:

• Rhinoplasty which consists in correcting the size or shape of the nose for aesthetic or functional reasons
• Abdominal liposuction which consists of sucking and extracting the accumulation of fat and skin on the stomach
• Breast surgery for reconstruction or breast augmentation
• Buttock augmentation (Brazilian facelift) which allows a remodeling or filling of the hollows of the buttocks

As a reminder, a cosmetic operation must be performed by an experienced surgeon. In Turkiye, there are more than 1,200 surgeons who are recognized and certified all over the world.

Summary: the key points to remember about Turkish medical tourism

In conclusion, Turkiye has established itself as the European medical tourism leader in just ten years, resulting Europe’s medical tourism is shifting toward Turkiye. Indeed, the government has put in place a policy favoring the development of specialized clinics in the field of health to launch its economy.

Europe’s medical tourism is shifting toward Turkiye, and this market generated more than $ 4 billion in 2020 between dental, medical tourism, and hair implants. Every year, more than 250,000 procedures are performed in clinics.

As Europe’s medical tourism is shifting toward Turkiye, Medical tourism in Turkiye offers many attractive advantages such as the quality of care, immediate care, and the expertise of highly qualified surgeons. All this at a price-quality ratio that defies all competition in Europe.

Patients who have visited Turkiye for medical care are very satisfied with it.