Health tourism is beginning to play a major role in many countries’ economies, but Turkey is still lagging behind in reaping the rewards of its health tourism potential.

The heath tourism industry has a global volume of $100 billion; in Turkey, however, revenues remain at $500 million.

Despite having many advantages over its competitors in the industry, including unparalleled natural beauty, high-quality tourism facilities, thermal baths and experienced medical staff, Turkey still lags behind many countries, Dr. Dursun Aydın, chairman of Health Tourism Development Association, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

Aydın added that Turkey is home to more than 200 private hospitals, most of which are luxurious and equipped with the latest technology. The country also has at least 10 university hospitals. With the number of its globally accredited hospitals, Turkey ranks second only to the United States, Aydın said.

Turkey could offer much more than it does today in this industry, said Dr. Uğur Baran, chairman of the Health Committee at the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, adding that if Turkey realizes its full potential, it could earn up to $10 billion from the industry annually.

Most of the people that arrive in Turkey to receive medical treatment choose to remain in the country and have a quick holiday, Baran said. Adding the figures together, the money obtained from these patients is nearly six times that obtained from tourists arriving just for the purpose of taking a vacation, he said.

Marketing gap

Authorities agree that among the reasons for Turkey lagging behind its health tourism rivals, including India, Thailand, Hungary, Argentina, Brazil and Singapore, is the divided structure of its marketing strategies.

The sector lacks a hub that would take on the responsibility of coordinating the inflow of tourists and patients from various countries by directing them to the most suitable health centers. This hub would also serve to keep track of patients’ treatment and post-treatment periods.

“Today, 60 to 65 percent of the arrangements between health centers and patients take place over the Internet. This means people have no one to turn to for help; they surf the Web to find out about the medical centers all by themselves and contact the hospitals directly,” said Dr. Orhon Uzel of Antalya Flavius Beauty Hospital, in an interview with the Daily News.

Turkey needs a proper marketing and advertisement strategy, said Uzel, who urged for the immediate establishment of a central management to coordinate the medical centers.

Dr. Sinan İbiş, chairman of Medical Tourism Foundation, said that in an attempt to manage the current potential of the health tourism industry in Turkey, the foundation has decided to collaborate with the National Health Service, or NHS, the world’s largest publicly funded health service.

“It is highly important to establish a central management for the health tourism industry instead of letting the current fragmented structure of the system damage relations between health centers and patients,” he said.

Health villages for the elderly

Although the industry seems to be failing in meeting its financial goals, some improvements have taken place. Among these is the “health village” project developed by Turkey and Norway for the elderly.

During the period when Kemal Unakıtan served as finance minister, there was a plan to allocate property in Turkey for the Norwegian government to set up a health community for the elderly, Uzel said.

“Since health services are rather expensive in Scandinavian countries, the governments are in search of new opportunities to give their citizens the highest-quality service possible at a reasonable cost,” said Uzel. “That’s where Turkey has great advantages, including its proximity to European countries, wide transportation networks, favorable climate conditions and Turkish hospitality,” he said.

Highlighting the importance of support from the Health Ministry and Tourism Ministry, Uzel also noted that the Antalya Flavius Beauty Hospital has begun to collaborate with the Norway Health Ministry and local municipalities to help Norwegian patients over the age of 60 in their treatment process.

“Our center is hosting pilot groups for two to four weeks at the moment,” he said. “If the results prove to be successful, the project is expected to be expanded with contributions from the two countries.”