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Your Guide to Planning a Successful Medical Tourism Trip

Any trip planned well in advance will always go more smoothly than one that didn’t involve any thought. This is most certainly the case when it comes to medical tourism or travelling to foreign countries centred on medical procedures such as hair transplants or dental treatments.

The primary purpose of medical tourism is simple: to improve your health and wellbeing. While you’ll also get to see beautiful sights along the way, safeguarding your well-being should be your top priority. Planning your medical tourism trip well ahead of time will give you the benefit of assessing all options and being prepared for the worst-case scenario.

A successful medical tourism trip is one that allows you to return home safely with memories of good care and a wonderful time. To ensure your trip goes smoothly, consider these factors to guide you in your planning:

1 – Gather the Necessary Medical Information

The first step in planning a successful medical tourism trip is to be well-informed. Collect all the medical information you need including the best place to receive treatment, how long you should expect to stay, and what you should be prepared for. You should also gather information on the hospital or clinic you choose and the doctors who will be treating you.

Aside from the hospital itself, consider the infrastructure, technology, and standard of care a country is able to provide to you. Remember—you aren’t just looking for affordable care. You’re looking for quality care.

You also need to conduct research on insurance and any coverages you may be able to get to protect yourself in case anything goes wrong. This will give you greater peace of mind, as will bringing a friend or family member along to aid in your recovery.

Make sure to relay the information of your trip to your health insurance provider. If you are working with a medical facilitation facility, ask them for their insurance policies and other related details.

2 – Budget for Your Trip

Medical tourism can cost quite a bit of money if you are not careful with your spending. Most people opt to travel for medical procedures because the same treatment in their home country costs much more. However, you also need to factor in the cost of treatment fees, hospital room rates, and even pharmaceutical fees. Make a clear budget that breaks down each item you will need to pay for.

You can manage the non-medical expenses of your trip to stick to your budget. Booking a discounted flight in advance or choosing cheaper accommodations may help you conserve costs and ensure you’re financially covered in case of an emergency.

3 – Consult Health Professionals

Perhaps you’ve already put the plans in motion for your trip. Have you asked your doctor about their opinion? Remember—they want you to get the best care as well. Asking them for guidance is crucial because they know your medical history better than anyone else. Before even booking your trip, voice your concerns to your doctor. Besides being able to help you better prepare, they may refer you to a credible doctor or hospital in a foreign country.

If you can secure a copy of an estimate of your hospital contract and hospital bill with the foreign medical facility, you can also disclose it with your doctor so that they can give their informed advice.

Conclusion

Planning your medical tourism trip takes foresight and being in the know about everything will ensure you have a stress-free and successful vacation. Ensuring your journey is planned well in advance is important simply due to the many factors involved. The more prepared you are for any situation, the quicker you’ll be able to adjust your plans when need be.

WeCure is your UK-based medical facilitation company, specialising in hair transplants, aesthetic treatment, mental health & wellbeing, and dental treatment in Antalya, Turkey. Let us help you plan your next trip TODAY!

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Medical Tourism – Ensuring a Happy and Healthy Trip

There are a number of popular trends associated with travel today, like food tours or backpacking in countries like Turkey or Mexico. Another rising travel trend is medical tourism or health tourism, which allows one to take in the sights and wonders of a foreign country while also finding effective medical treatments that may not be available (or are especially pricey) in one’s home country.

Some countries, such as Turkey, have become hotspots for medical tourism (for example, cosmetic treatments on holiday). However, as any inexperienced medical traveller will tell you, there are many ill-made choices that can turn any healing trip into more of a disease or disaster.

If the travel plans are ill-conceived, even the smallest detail left unresearched can lead to further deterioration of one’s health. Luckily, there are experienced travellers and partners who have already gone through the process and have a list of don’ts ready!

As aspiring “health tourists” should be well-prepared, take note of our three tips to make sure that your medical trip goes as smoothly as possible:

 

1 – Seek a Second Opinion and Check Testimonials

This step is probably a no-brainer for any patient looking to receive medical treatment abroad (and even in their own home country). Doctors themselves often recommend their patients to get a second opinion if they’re feeling unsure of the recommended course of action.

Being honest with your doctor about your medical tourism plans are another important way to ensure your own safety. Remember to also ask your doctor about the medical procedures you intend to undertake as to ensure you aren’t misled by bogus medical centres or practitioners.

Speaking of bogus medical centres, one of the biggest obstacles any medical tourist can make is about forgetting to ask for a relevant healthcare accreditation. Attaining accreditation involves the standards and procedures of any hospital, clinic or medical professional being checked and accessed by a respected international medical organisation or association.

Unfortunately, there are also a number of non-accredited hospitals out there, even in countries known for their high standard of medical care. As a responsible health tourist, consider asking your doctor for a list of things you should be looking for to ensure you’ll be receiving safe and appropriate treatment.

You can rest assured that all WeCure medical partner clinics, hospitals and practitioners hold the highest levels of accreditation for your peace of mind.

 

2 – Prepare Yourself Financially

One rookie mistake that many medical tourists make is assuming treatment elsewhere will be cheap. While it’s true that getting your medical procedure done in a country like Turkey will likely cost you less, you also have to consider any expenses that may arise regarding accommodation or emergency procedures. You don’t want to be caught blindsided by the cost of an overlooked medical expenditure, so ensure you budget and come with an emergency fund from which you can easily withdraw money if needed to ensure a seamless medical tourism experience.

Scrutinizing medical expenses and making sure there is mutual accountability between the patient and medical professional can be legally bound through a contract. Make sure to read even the fine print of your bill. Your personal security—both financially and medically—should be a top priority.

Unlike many other health facilitators, WeCure always provide a fully inclusive price quotation which also includes accommodation, transfers and a 24-hour personal concierge among other conveniences so there are no nasty surprises!

 

3 – Make Sure You Have a Safety Net

When your plans are in place and you are ready to seek medical attention in a foreign country, don’t be the traveller who forgets to ensure a safety net like a travel companion and travel insurance.

Travelling with someone by your side will ensure you have someone to enjoy the sights of a new country, while also providing you with support as you recover from a medical procedure. And like any trip that takes you to another country, travel insurance is for the good of the traveller. Medical Tourism Insurance is the same as it protects medical tourists from further complications at the onset of the medical procedure.

 

Conclusion

 As medical tourism continues to be on the rise for many travel hopefuls, there are many details that you should take note of. The success of this particular type of travel is different because it requires extra care and foresight to make sure a medical tourism trip is successful. Using a reputable company such as WeCure, with the highest standards and aftercare should be a priority.

Luckily, for medical tourists looking for cosmetic treatments while on holiday, Turkey can be your next medical tourism spot of choice.

Be a better YOU with WeCure! We are a UK-based medical facilitation company that connects patients with accredited doctors, clinics, and hospitals. We ensure those seeking health tourism opportunities in Turkey for treatments such as dental care, hair transplants, aesthetic treatments, and even mental health therapy are taken good care of! Consult with WeCure today for your health tourism needs.

 

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Why Türkiye is an Ideal Destination for Health Tourism

One trend happening in the medical scene recently is the growth of medical or health tourism. Which simply put is the act of travelling to another country to use their medical care and other health services.

 

The health tourism industry

Health or medical tourism is mostly considered by residents of lesser-developed countries where some medical treatments for specific conditions are not yet available. They travel abroad to get the right treatment they need. However, the trend is shifting where more developed countries are seeking lower-cost but higher quality medical treatment with shorter lead times (or no waiting times in many cases).

The popularity of health tourism is rising, so much so that the global medical tourism market is expected to reach $346.1 billion in 2032.

Other reasons for this movement’s popularity are as follows:

  • More affordable treatment without sacrificing the quality of service
  • No need to wait for a schedule for elective surgeries or procedures
  • For immigrants flying to their home country for a medical procedure, it is the time to get the healing and care they need
  • For others flying away from their country, taking the treatment away from their home means fewer questions to answer and fewer explanations to make to family and friends

 

Türkiye for medical tourism

One of the top 17 popular countries for medical tourism today is Türkiye. In 2022, more than a million 700,000 foreigners visited Türkiye just to take advantage of their excellent medical treatment and care services. Overall, 32 per cent of the country’s patients are medical tourists!

Some of the reasons behind Türkiye’s popularity are the following:

  • The country has an affordable healthcare system
  • It has the highest number of US-accredited hospitals
  • Most doctors, having trained in Europe and America, choose to practice and take up their residency in Türkiye

If these aren’t enough reasons for you to consider Türkiye for your medical tourism, here are some advantages you should consider:

 

  1. Türkiye is the central hub for the East and the West

Türkiye is said to be the gateway between the east and west. Its location is easily accessible whichever continent or country you may be coming from. Also, it has always been a global commercial, cultural, and political centre.

Istanbul Airport, in Türkiye, is also considered as one of the world’s largest airports. Once its expansion is finished in the latter part of 2020, it will cater for and accommodate around 200 million passengers each year and will have around 300 direct flights worldwide.

 

  1. Surgeries are cheaper in Türkiye 

In general, surgeries in Türkiye can be up to 90 per cent cheaper, and 67 per cent of those who travel abroad take advantage of this for their private hospital treatment. That speaks a lot about how affordable their medical offers are. Cosmetic surgery in Türkiye is also 70 per cent cheaper than most of Europe. You get to save more without sacrificing the quality of the treatments you’re looking for.

Moreover, Turkish Airlines also offer a special discount for medical travellers. If you calculate the total expense of your surgery, your travel fee, and accommodation, the cost would still be cheaper compared to getting the same surgery in most western countries so why not have a holiday at the same time!

 

  1. Well-rounded when it comes to treatment offerings

While some countries are popular for certain types of treatment, Türkiye is different. People around the world travel to Türkiye for various reasons, such as hair transplants, cancer treatments, dental treatments, low-cost in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), and more. They are also popular when it comes to smoking and mental health therapy.

 

  1. Quality hospitals and surgeons

The beauty of the medical industry in Türkiye is how the country’s government helps develop and upgrade its health sector, keeping it at the very top of the industry. The government follows a PPP model (private-public-partnership) to improve the country’s healthcare infrastructure, and the private hospitals also invest in improving their health facilities. As mentioned earlier, in addition to investment, internationally trained surgeons decide to stay and perform their profession in Türkiye ensuring the level of care is always the best it can be.

 

  1. Quick response

Because they know the value of medical tourism in their country, they give importance to their foreign patients too. You can get a procedure scheduled in as early as two weeks compared to waiting for almost 18 months for some procedures in in the UK.

 

Conclusion

If you need an option for your surgery or special treatment, do consider Türkiye. Besides the quality and the availability of affordable medical treatments, you get to experience the unique blend of Oriental, European, and Arab cultures in this beautiful country.

Are you interested in taking advantage of medical tourism and becoming a health tourist? WeCure can help arrange everything for you! We are a UK-based medical facilitation company, and we can connect you to trusted doctors and clinics in Türkiye!

 

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