What are you hoping for when you decide to travel abroad for medical treatment?

I would guess you put safety first? That means the best medical treatment you can buy.

But it also means a smooth journey, high-class accommodation and great after-care. That’s a lot to think about and a lot to organise. So many things could go wrong. Where do you start?

Medical tourism abroad can be risky for patients. Unregulated procedures, equipment limitations, undertrained staff, and sanitation issues can arise. This may be even more common in plastic surgery, where injections are not approved and can cause medical complications. You need correct information before considering plastic surgery – and a professional company, on the ground, can help to steer you in the right direction for the best possible outcome.

You need a professional company that has all the expertise and local knowledge to iron out difficulties, to look after your safety, to make the arrangements and to ensure your all-important paperwork is correct.

So, what do you look for in a company to arrange your medical tourist trip?

Finding the best medical treatment

Turkey has a considerable number of CJI accredited hospitals in Turkey – in fact, 29 hospitals, that’s about 3% of the world’s JCI accredited healthcare organizations, are in Istanbul. You may already have an idea as to which medical centre you plan to visit, if not, your agent can help you decide and has access to the information you need.

What does JCI mean? The Joint Commission International accreditation and certification is recognized as a world leader for the quality of health care and the safety of patients. Your professional company will know them all. Health care in Turkey is of a very high standard, you will be in safe hands.

While all surgery does carry a risk of complications, and even accreditation cannot guarantee a good outcome, if there should be problems it is good to have someone local to help you deal with the after-effects, and the journey home.

Travel Arrangements

Fortunately for the British traveller flying to Turkey from London only take about 4 hours – and the airport at Istanbul is modern and easy to negotiate. But it can still be daunting to arrive with no one to greet you, no one to meet you, and no one to help you find your accommodation. The company will arrange to welcome you to Istanbul and take you straight to your hotel or medical centre. They will even carry your bags!

Travelling between places in Turkey can be arranged with your company – they will provide assistance and ensure your journeys run smoothly. You will not be left wondering where the taxi has got to and whether you are going to be late for your important medical appointments.

Documents

 Your professional company will ensure you have the correct documents, including details about your medical treatment and prescription drugs.

Passport

Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months from the date you enter Turkey. You may need to ensure that the date when you enter Turkey is stamped on your passport if you enter the country by a land border.

Visa

A British Citizen going to Turkey as a medical tourist does not need a visa if the visit lasts less than 90 days in any 180-day period. If you intend to extend your visit for longer you can get an eVisa online before your journey.

If you are a special type of British national (British overseas citizen, British protected person) you may need a visa even for the shorter stay and you will need to check with the Turkish consulate - your agent will help you with this.

Insurance

Your professional company can advise you on this - it can be extremely expensive if you are not aware of the best way to go about finding the comprehensive cover you need. The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is not valid in Turkey. COVID-19 has complicated matters, but your agent should be aware of the latest restrictions.

The language barrier

Turkish is the 17^th most common language in the world, spoken by 90 million people – but you will find that many of the medical staff speak English, the commonest global language with 1.5 billion speakers. If, however, there should there be difficulties your agent will have already found ways to overcome this.

After the medical treatment

Many medical tourists take the opportunity to extend their stay for a holiday – a wonderful chance to recuperate in a beautiful country with so much to offer. You may want to take advantage of the numerous spas and mineral springs to help you heal in comfort. What could be nicer than having someone who knows the ropes arrange this for you. No hassle, no last-minute rush, just a smooth, Relaxing interval before returning to Britain - healed and well.

Your agent will not only take care of the arrangements for you but also ensure that your departure is comfortable and stress-free. They take care of all the details so you can concentrate on getting well.

Conclusions

Turkey offers very high-quality medical care for a reasonable cost. A professional company will take away the stress of trying to manage all the arrangements and they are on the ground should you require further unexpected assistance. Travelling can be challenging, it is important to safeguard your health when abroad, and that is what your agent will do.

There is a lot to organise and a novice will find the many tasks daunting. A professional company will have many of the things you need already in place, and they will make sure all the little details are completed properly. They will take care of travel arrangements, documentation and accommodation.  They will enable you to extend your stay for a relaxing after-care holiday if you wish, and, most of all, they will help you choose the best and safest medical destination for your particular medical requirements.

Medical tourism has many potential risks- but when you have a professional company to take care of them, it will be a safe and enjoyable experience. For further information, reach us out via link here and our friendly staff will be happy to advise you.