--- title: "Medical Tourism Guide 2026 | Sağlık Ajansı" description: "A starting guide covering authorisation, the patient journey, market selection and measurement for institutions entering medical tourism." canonical: https://saglikajansi.com.tr/en/knowledge/medical-tourism-guide.html language: en last_modified: 2026-08-22 alternates: - en: https://saglikajansi.com.tr/en/knowledge/medical-tourism-guide.html - tr: https://saglikajansi.com.tr/bilgi-merkezi/saglik-turizmi-rehberi.html publisher: "Sağlık Ajansı — Marka Studio Dijital Reklam Tasarım Ajansı" note: "Bu dosya, kanonik HTML sayfasının makine-okunur alternatifidir. Kanonik kaynak yukarıdaki canonical URL'dir." --- *Medical-tourism guide* # Medical Tourism Guide Medical tourism is a patient travelling to another country for treatment. For Türkiye it is a regulated field requiring an authorisation, a health-tourism unit, multilingual communication and an international patient operation. Sağlık Ajansı editorial team·Last reviewed: 22 August 2026 According to Service Exporters' Association figures, Türkiye welcomed 1,398,580 international patients in 2025 and earned USD 3.022 billion from medical tourism. Patient numbers fell against the previous year while revenue held, indicating a market shifting from volume toward value. > The stages of starting in medical tourism explained as a guide ## Under what conditions can medical tourism be provided? Providing international health tourism services in Türkiye requires an authorisation. Under the regulation of 26 April 2025, healthcare institutions are certified by the Ministry of Health and facilitators by USHAŞ. Core conditions for private healthcare institutions include a minimum score in the quality standards assessment, a health-tourism unit meeting diploma and foreign-language requirements, and a website where a foreign patient can readily find information. ## How the patient journey works The international patient journey has six stages: awareness, research, first contact, planning, treatment and follow-up. Most institutions focus on the treatment stage, yet the bulk of loss happens at first contact and planning. At first contact patients expect speed and clarity. Field experience shows patients writing to several institutions at once and shortlisting whoever gives the first substantive answer. The six stages of the patient journey - Awareness: treatment abroad becomes an option - Research: comparison of country, institution and physician - First contact: form, message or telephone - Planning: dates, travel, accommodation and cost settle - Treatment: from arrival to discharge - Follow-up: post-return review, contact and any revision ## Promotion and information limits The regulation in force since 12 November 2025 prohibits advertising by healthcare institutions and permits only non-directive information. Patient-satisfaction content, discount announcements and brand-led sponsored posts are out of scope. That does not end digital visibility. The weight shifts to process narrative, preparation information, institutional transparency and search visibility — which happens to overlap with what international patients look for anyway. Important notice This guide is general information and is not legal opinion. Regulation changes; consult Ministry of Health and USHAŞ sources for the current text and assess it with your legal function. ### Authorisation first No promotional investment before the certificate and compliance ground exist. ### Loss happens early Most loss occurs at first contact and planning, not during treatment. ### Not one market Europe is not a single market; each country carries different language and expectations. *Working sequence* ## How we move, step by step 1. 01**Authorisation and compliance**Certificate scope clarified and promotion limits written. 2. 02**Institutional transparency**Identity, address, team and process information prepared in every language. 3. 03**Enquiry flow**Form, channels and a first-response rule established. 4. 04**Team capacity**Language support and follow-up discipline secured. 5. 05**Visibility**Content and search visibility work begun. *Official sources* ## Primary sources for Medical Tourism Guide 2026 These links are general orientation; review the current text with your legal team. *Frequently asked questions* ## What institutions ask most about this ### Is an authorisation mandatory for medical tourism? Yes. Healthcare institutions wishing to provide international health tourism services need a certificate from the Ministry of Health; facilitators are certified through USHAŞ. ### What conditions apply to the certificate? For private institutions, a minimum score in the quality standards assessment, a health-tourism unit meeting diploma and language requirements, and an accessible website are among the core conditions. Check official sources for the current list. ### What does becoming a facilitator require? Protocols with at least three healthcare institutions in Türkiye, a coordinator and call-centre staff, and round-the-clock call-centre service in foreign languages are among the core conditions. Because the 26 April 2025 regulation changed these, confirm the current list with USHAŞ. ### Which treatments lead in Türkiye? Aesthetic and plastic surgery, hair transplant, dental treatment, ophthalmology, orthopaedics and traumatology, cardiology and oncology are among the leading fields. ### How does the advertising ban affect medical tourism? Directive advertising is restricted while informative content, process narrative and institutional transparency come forward, raising the importance of search and answer-engine visibility. ### How soon do results appear? Infrastructure preparation takes about a month, the first measurable signals about three months, and a meaningful trend generally six to twelve. The exact period depends on your starting point. ### Which languages should we start with? English is the base; the second language follows the target market — German or Arabic most often. The decision depends on your capacity to answer in it. ### Can we work without facilitators? Yes, but it takes time. For most institutions the realistic route is maintaining facilitator relationships while building a direct channel in parallel. *Next step* ## Let us build a realistic starting plan for your institution Share your current position and we will identify the step to begin with. *Related topics* ## Continue with the next relevant topic --- Kanonik sayfa / Canonical page: https://saglikajansi.com.tr/en/knowledge/medical-tourism-guide.html Site haritası / Site map: https://saglikajansi.com.tr/llms.txt