Turkey, which has set ambitious goals in health tourism, is experiencing disappointment. While the target set per patient in 2023 was announced as $6,617, the actual realization was $1,650. Experts expressed their reaction, stating, 'Turkey has turned into a market for cheap health tourism.
According to the data compiled by the International Health Services Inc. (USHAŞ), affiliated with the Ministry of Health, based on the 2023 tourism data of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), the following trends are observed in health tourism:
In 2019, Turkey hosted 701,046 patients who received health services within the scope of health tourism, generating $1.4 billion in tourism revenue. In 2020, amid the global pandemic, the number of patients decreased to 407,423, resulting in $1.2 billion in revenue. In 2021, revenue from 670,730 patients amounted to $1.7 billion, while in 2022, revenue from 1,258,382 patients reached $2.1 billion.
However, the Ministry's Health Turkey project's official website for 2023 set ambitious targets of 1.5-2 million health tourists and $20 billion in revenue, which were significantly below the actual performance of 1.398 million patients and $2.3 billion in revenue.
The Health and Social Service Workers Union (SES) noted that while the Ministry expected $6,617 per patient for 2023, the actual realization was $1,650.
Kubilay Yalçınkaya, a representative of SES, pointed out that the most preferred branches by patients were those where appointments were unavailable. He also criticized the situation, stating, "It is unfair that while the city hospitals, built with our taxes, and the salaries of healthcare workers are paid, we cannot receive services, but foreigners can pay for services.