The General Director of the International Health Services Company, Mehmet Ali Kılıçkaya, said that Turkey is one of the most successful countries in the world in the medical tourism sector.
This came in statements made by Kılıçkaya to Anadolu Agency, on the sidelines of his participation in the 21st edition of the HIMSS Eurasia Exhibition and Conference for Medical Tourism Technologies, hosted by the Turkish state of Antalya (south).
Kılıçkaya added that public and private sector hospitals in Turkey have made important investments in health infrastructure, noting that Turkey has begun to recover from the effects of the Corona pandemic on the medical tourism sector.
He pointed out that medical tourism in Turkey has developed and grown a lot in recent years with the huge investments carried out by public and private hospitals, and with the digital transformation and the opening of many medical cities.
He explained that Turkey received in 2019 more than 600,000 tourists who came to medical tourism, with revenues exceeding one billion dollars, noting that there was a decline in numbers last year due to the pandemic.
He stressed that Turkey has achieved great successes in several sections of medical tourism, most notably plastic, dental and eye surgeries.
** Turkey is a global brand in medical tourism
Kılıçkaya pointed out that many patients prefer to come to Turkey for treatment because of Turkey’s many advantages, such as proximity, low cost and quality of services.
He continued, “We aim to become one of the first countries in the medical tourism sector with the investments we make and digital transformation in the sector, and the goal of establishing the International Health Services Company was to make Turkey one of the most successful brands in the world in the medical tourism sector.”
The company’s general manager stressed the importance of digitization in the medical tourism sector, and its role in facilitating transactions and communication between patients abroad and hospitals inside Turkey.
He pointed out the importance of digital marketing in attracting more tourists and in managing operations in a successful manner.
On the sector’s goals, Kılıçkaya said that they expect to exceed the 2019 figures during the next year.
** Britain is an important market in medical tourism
Kılıçkaya stressed the importance of the induction activities that they will carry out in this sector, noting that the Ministry of Commerce supports all the induction activities that will be carried out by hospitals and health institutions.
He added that they will organize a work forum with Britain on December 2 and 3, with the participation of the Turkish and British Ministers of Health, in addition to a group of scientists, directors of health institutions, a group of university representatives, and about 50-60 companies.
Kılıçkaya pointed out the importance of Britain’s market in the medical tourism sector, saying: “Britain is a very important market in the sector, and we receive large numbers of tourists from it who come for cosmetic surgeries, dental and eye treatments.”