Arranging The Trip

Be Sure About Your Diagnosis and Treatment Needs
The more you know about the treatment you’re seeking, the easier your search for a physician will be. Do work closely with your local doctor or medical specialist, and make sure you obtain exact recommendations-in writing, if possible. If you lack confidence in your doctor’s diagnosis, seek a second opinion.

Research Your In-Country Doctor Thoroughly
This is the most important step of all. When you’ve narrowed your search to two or three physicians, invest some time and money in personal telephone interviews, either directly with your candidate doctors or through your health travel planning agency. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, lots of them, until you feel comfortable that you have chosen a competent physician.

Consider Travelling With a Companion
Many health travelers say they wouldn’t go without a close friend or family member by their side. Your travel companion can help you every step of the way. With luck, your companion may even enjoy the trip!

Consider Engaging a Good Health Planner
Even the most intrepid, adventurous medical traveler will benefit from the knowledge, experience, and in-country support these professionals can bring to any health journey. Do thoroughly research an agent before plunking down your deposit.

Get It In Writing
Cost estimates, appointments, recommendations, opinions, second opinions, airline and hotel arrangements—get as much as you can in writing, and do be sure to take all documentation with you on the plane. Email is fine, as long as you retain a written record of your key transactions. The more you get in writing, the less chance of a misunderstanding.

Insist On Using a Language You Understand
As much as many of us would like to have a better command of another language, the time to brush up on your Turkish is most definitely not when negotiating medical care! Establishing comfortable, reliable communication with your key contacts is paramount to your success as a health traveler. Happily for English-speaking patients, most medical staff in Turkey speak English, so communication should not be a problem.

Do Not Plan Your Too Tightly
Don’t plan your trip with military precision. A missed consultation or an extra two days of recovery in Turkey can mean expensive rescheduling with airlines. A good rule of thumb is to add an extra day for every five days you anticipate for consultation, treatment, and recovery.

Alert Your Bank and Credit Card Companies
Contact your bank and credit card companies prior to your trip. Inform them of your travel dates and where you will be. If you plan to use a credit card for large amounts, alert the company in advance, and reconfirm your credit limits to avoid card cancellation or unexpected rejections.

Learn a Little About Your Destination
Once you’ve decided on Turkey or any other health travel destination, spend a little time getting to know something about its history and geography. Buy or borrow a couple of travel guides. Read a local newspaper. Your hosts will appreciate your knowledge and interest.

Inform Your Local Doctors Before You Leave
Preserve a good working relationship with your family physician and local specialists. Although they may not particularly like you’re traveling overseas for medical care, most doctors will respect your decision. Your local healthcare providers need to know what you’re doing, so they can continue your care and treatment once you return home.

Visa information

While planning your trip to Turkey do not forget to check your passport if it is valid for at least 90 days. To avoid any inconvenience please make your visa application in person and one month before you proceed to Turkey. Depending on your nationality, most probably your stay as a tourist is limited up to 3 months (for one entrance). For tourist visas, there is no need to apply in advance or to fill in any forms. If you are flying to Turkey, you will buy your visa at the Turkish airport on arrival. To learn the visa fees at border gates you may visit http://www.mfa.gov.tr/default.en.mfa You will see the visa desk, situated just before passport control. You must buy your visa, which will be stamped on your passport by the official, before you join the queue for passport control. Visas are multiple entries and are valid for three months. Each passport-holder, including infants, must purchase a visa. With tourist visas you will not have the right to take up paid or unpaid employment or to reside, or to study (including student exchange program) or to establish yourself in business in Turkey. For more information please visit http://www.mfa.gov.tr/sub.en.mfa?cc4e437c-6769-4d79-9017-10b63c651224

Treatment Process

 Prior to your medical travel, getting in contact with the JCI accredited facilities’ International Patient Departments would guarantee a planned, secure, comfortable trip since the moment you step out of the plane till you get back to your country.

Medical Consultations
If you are seeking a physician consultation, it is suggested that you send your complete medical history, along with any applicable x-ray films and laboratory test results via e-mail, fax or post-mail to related the hospital’s International Patient Department. Once a physician has reviewed your medical history, the related coordinators will contact you about the recommended course of treatment and whether it is advisable to travel to Turkey for treatment.

Once the appropriate treatment is determined, the patient’s all physician appointments -including diagnostic and laboratory tests & procedures, as well as surgical procedures if necessary – are arranged by the International Patient Department specialists. Appointment availability depends on the nature and urgency of medical situation.

Primary and Specialty Care
Primary and specialty outpatient care is provided by a multispecialty physician practice groups, that provides comprehensive care in several specialties and subspecialties.

International Patient Centers’ services include:

Scheduling of medical appointments with follow-up care (pre-op and post-op evaluation)
Assistance with hospital admission and discharges
Arrangement of accomodation
Arrangement of airport transfer
Assistance with payment procedures and in simplifying financial transactions
Assistance with language interpretation
Assistance with local tours and excursion arrangements

Turkey, the Choice Destination for Medical Tourism

If you are planning to undergo medical travel, Turkey is a great choice. With a highly respected reputation as a leading Medical Tourism destination in Europe, Turkey offers top quality medical professionals, many of which are US board certified.

Turkey’s Ministry of Health oversees more than 1,000 public hospitals throughout the country and is no stranger to continuously improving its quality of health care and patient safety. The country also houses more than 375 private hospitals, and in fact, has the most accredited JCI organizations in all of Europe—totalling 28 private hospitals. Many have been re-accredited twice (dating back to 2002). That number is expected to continue growing as time passes.

What is even more commendable than the demonstrated results is the country’s continuous pursuit towards achieving better health care. The Ministry has teamed up with JCI to transform Turkey’s health care system by developing its own set of standards to measure hospital quality.

To that end, JCI helped the Ministry develop a road map highlighting key areas of focus: hospital design, medication management, infection control, medical transport, patient safety and quality improvement, care continuum (as it relates to home care), and primary care.