HEALTH TOURISM
‘Health Tourism’ maintaining its increase in last years takes the place as the type of important alternative tourism in the world and our country.
The definition of ‘Health Tourism’ is all international travels which are made in order to keep people’s health, recover health and receive treatment.
Health tourism targets to heal patients and provide various services for their family.
The increase of social security costs in developed countries compels payments of social security institutions. Accordingly, this situation causes private health institutions and social security institutions to contact with other organizations which provide cost-effective and quality services in different countries.
Investing by public hospitals and private health institutions at the end of 1990 has increased a number of tourists coming to our country for treatment from the four corners of the world. Our organizations have achieved to bring together private health institutions which have European standards, medical investments and trained quality personnel. Therefore, our organizations started to join chosen centres of the world within the field of health tourism. These organizations constitutied a new sector for countries targeting the increase of world population and quality of life, the rise of health costs at Europe and America to earn from money from health services as well it achieved to be the most dynamic between pre-eminent sectors at the world. The far eastern countries which get the largest share from health tourism are Singapore, India, Thailand, Malaysia primarily.
Turkey which has 15 hospitals owns accreditation of Joint Commission International (JCI) which is the largest health accreditation institution in the world and Turkey gets ahead of many European countries by increasing this number every year.
Every country has world standards to place in health institutions at its own country and this duty is performed by National Hospital Accreditation Organization (NHAO) which was built in September, 2007 in our country.
STANDARDS OF HEALTH TOURISM
- Providing health service within the frame of ethical values
- Being available physically and economically
- Cultural communication between health service providers and people who need health service
- Physical Standards
- Sufficient medical technology
- International medical Technologies
- International common treatment protocols
- Sufficient information technologies
- Transportation and transfer standards
- Personnel standards
HEALTH TOURISM ORGANIZATION
- Health tourism shall include the process before going out from home and after going out from home.
- Shall be worked in a coordinated manner with insurance companies.
- Shall be certificated institutions and organizations related to health tourism by being determined.
- Shall be presented with health services and tourism services within the frame of the package programmes
- Health tourism promotion programmes and campaigns shall be reproduced
- uninterrupted service shall be presented by coordinating for international work and operations and by supporting auxiliary organizations which can provide service at health tourism.
Within the scope of Health Tourism;
Institutions performing health tourism service provide the plane return ticket, transfer by private vehicles, accommodation of quality hotels, examination,pre-examination, operation and postoperative controlls, touristic activities in company with private guide within the frame of agreements which are made.
Main reasons of health tourism;
1) Inadequacy of technology in the country.
2) Inadequacy of trained personnel in the country.
3) High costs of treatment in the country.
4) Demand of more quality service.
5) In the case of there is no appropriate condition in terms of climate and geographical conditions.
6) The case of the patient does not want the relatives to know medical treatment which will be performed.
7) Wanting to participate in touristic activities during treatment and post treatment.
8) Less bureaucratic operations in other countries.
Health tourism which will be defined as serving a healthy life can be divided into 3 main articles.
1. Mecidine Tourism (Medical Tourism)
2. Thermal Tourism (Spa Tourism)
3. Tourism for Elderly and the disabled