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Journals / Selçuk Sağlık Dergisi / 2026 / Volume: 7 Issue: 2

A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF PUBLICLY REPORTED MEDICAL TOURISM DATA IN PUBLIC CITY HOSPITALS IN TÜRKİYE

Türkiye’de Kamu Şehir Hastanelerinde Tıbbi Turizm Kapsamında Uluslararası Hastalara İlişkin Betimleyici Bir Çalışma

Tolgay Ercan(SİVAS CUMHURİYET ÜNİVERSİTESİ, YILDIZELİ MESLEK YÜKSEKOKULU, TIBBİ HİZMETLER VE TEKNİKLER BÖLÜMÜ)0000-0002-6893-4358
Pages
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Publication Date
2026-06-26
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

This study offers a complementary contribution based on clinical data, countering the limited and mostly negative framing in the literature regarding Türkiye's medical tourism performance.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:Medical tourism is a growing strategic field globally, and within this scope, medical tourism involves the international mobility of patients for advanced diagnostic and treatment services.
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Key Findings & Data:Although Türkiye is a significant destination for medical tourism due to its healthcare infrastructure and public city hospitals, it has occasionally been portrayed critically in international media, focusing on patient safety and complications.
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Conclusion & Impact:This study offers a complementary contribution based on clinical data, countering the limited and mostly negative framing in the literature regarding Türkiye's medical tourism performance.
🔬Design:Research Article
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Health Tourism · International Patients · Medical Tourism

Abstract

Medical tourism is a growing strategic field globally, and within this scope, medical tourism involves the international mobility of patients for advanced diagnostic and treatment services. Although Türkiye is a significant destination for medical tourism due to its healthcare infrastructure and public city hospitals, it has occasionally been portrayed critically in international media, focusing on patient safety and complications. This study evaluates international patients treated within the scope of medical tourism in public city hospitals in Türkiye. It is a cross-sectional and descriptive study that examines publicly available medical tourism data from the websites of public city hospitals using a purposive sampling method. The study demonstrates that city hospitals have high bed, operating room, and intensive care capacity; and that successful and effective treatments are offered to international patients in internal medicine and surgical branches. Clinical improvement, functional gain, and disease control have been observed in complex and advanced cases. Public city hospitals, with their advanced infrastructure, multidisciplinary approaches, and qualified healthcare workforce, are reliable centers supporting Türkiye's competitiveness in medical tourism. This study offers a complementary contribution based on clinical data, countering the limited and mostly negative framing in the literature regarding Türkiye's medical tourism performance.

Özet

Sağlık turizmi, küresel ölçekte büyüyen stratejik bir alan olup, tıbbi turizm bu kapsamda ileri tanı ve tedavi hizmetleri için uluslararası hasta hareketliliğini içermektedir. Türkiye, sağlık altyapısı ve kamu şehir hastaneleriyle tıbbi turizmde önemli bir destinasyon olmasına rağmen uluslararası medyada zaman zaman hasta güvenliği ve komplikasyonlara odaklanan eleştirel bir çerçevede yer almıştır. Türkiye’de kamu şehir hastanelerinde tıbbi turizm kapsamında tedavi gören uluslararası hastalar değerlendirilmiştir. Kamu şehir hastanelerinin internet sitelerinde kamuya açık olarak paylaşılan sağlık turizmi verilerinin amaçlı örnekleme yöntemiyle incelendiği kesitsel ve betimleyici bir çalışmadır. Şehir hastanelerinin yüksek yatak, ameliyathane ve yoğun bakım kapasitesine sahip olduğunu; dahiliye ve cerrahi branşlarda uluslararası hastalara başarılı ve etkin tedaviler sunulduğunu göstermektedir. Kompleks ve ileri uzmanlık gerektiren vakalarda klinik iyileşme, fonksiyonel kazanım ve hastalık kontrolünün sağlandığı görülmüştür. Kamu şehir hastaneleri, gelişmiş altyapıları, multidisipliner yaklaşımları ve nitelikli sağlık iş gücü ile Türkiye’nin tıbbi turizmdeki rekabet gücünü destekleyen güvenilir merkezlerdir. Çalışma, Türkiye’nin tıbbi turizm performansına ilişkin literatürdeki sınırlı ve çoğunlukla olumsuz çerçevelemelere karşı, klinik verilere dayalı tamamlayıcı bir katkı sunmaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Ercan, T. (2026). A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF PUBLICLY REPORTED MEDICAL TOURISM DATA IN PUBLIC CITY HOSPITALS IN TÜRKİYE. Selçuk Sağlık Dergisi, Volume: 7 Issue: 2. https://doi.org/10.70813/ssd.1884635

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