Türkiye to mandate complication insurance for medical tourists
ANKARA
Türkiye’s booming medical tourism sector is set to undergo a shift as foreign patients seeking medical services in the nation will now be required to have both complication insurance and travel health insurance, according to a draft regulation primed by the Health Ministry.
As one of the most preferred countries in health tourism, Türkiye welcomed a total of 1.5 million visitors and generated $3 billion in revenue last year.
While the industry of health tourism in the nation keeps expanding on a regular basis, critical issues, such as the rapid surge in unauthorized and unregistered operations and thus complications after such operations, have also emerged.
In line with such concerns, the draft regulation aims to both protect patients and ensure accountability in the sector.
As per the draft regulation, healthcare facilities and intermediary agencies providing services to international patients will bear full responsibility for the medical services provided.
Additionally, these establishments must obtain approval from international health services company USHAŞ, a subsidiary of the ministry, and display the official "HealthTürkiye" logo on their premises.
To enhance service quality, intermediary agencies will be required to establish a 24/7 call center in at least two languages. USHAŞ will conduct inspections on the practices and any organization failing to meet the necessary criteria will have 30 business days to correct deficiencies.
Moreover, healthcare facilities and agencies engaged in international medical tourism must maintain foreign-language websites and report all service units to the ministry’s official portal, the draft regulation stated. Institutions that fail to comply with these regulations and have their certification revoked will not be eligible to reapply for a new authorization for six months.
