Turkey introduces rules for medical tourism

Turkey’s Ministry of Health has a detailed new regulatory regime for medical tourism, including regulated prices.

Turkey’s Ministry of Health has a detailed new regulatory regime for medical tourism, including regulated prices.

The new rules cover health care standards, authorisations and pricing. Health institutions and tourism/medical tourism agencies must obtain an International Health Tourism authorisation certificate by 13 July 2018 to continue to offer health tourism services.

The Ministry of Health, in consultation with the Health Tourism Coordination Committee, will be responsible for setting and approving prices.

Other aspects of the new regulatory regime include:

• Hospitals, clinics, other healthcare providers and tourism/medical tourism agencies must establish an International Tourism Health Unit in order to accept, register, diagnose, treat, bill, discharge, translate and coordinate related operations.
• A doctor must be appointed as manager of each International Tourism Health Unit. They must be qualified to practice medicine in Turkey, proficient in a foreign language, and have at least five years’ vocational experience in Turkey, including at least two years in public or private health institutions.
• Each International Tourism Health Unit must have at least two employees who can speak English.
• Only authorised healthcare or intermediary organisations can undertake advertising and offer information about these services.

The Regulation on International Health Tourism and Tourist’s Health was published in Official Gazette number 30123 on 13 July 2017, entering force on the same date. The full text of the Regulation is only available in Turkish.