Turkey pushes for higher foreign patient numbers

 28-Jan-15, Nikkei Asian Review

Turkey continues to assert its dominance as a major medical tourism destination in West Asia, with a record 360,000 foreign patients visiting the country in 2014 - up from 308,000 the year before. Government officials and healthcare industry executives also say a further 100,000 foreign patients receive daily treatments in outpatient clinics as well for procedures like hair transplants each year.

Image: Nikkei Asian Review

Most foreign patients come from the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia and the Balkans. Turkey offers cheaper treatments than its main regional competitors Germany and the United Arab Emirates, which are a 3-hour flight from Turkey's biggest city Istanbul. According to Turkish Airlines, 41 countries can be accessed from Istanbul with a 3-hour flight.

Treatment in Turkey costs 40% to 50% less than in Western Europe and the U.S., said Omer Tontus, the general manager of health promotion at the country's Ministry of Health. 

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