Advertising prohibited
Explicit and implicit advertising barred; non-directive information permitted.
Medical-tourism guide
Regulation and Compliance
Advertising for healthcare services is prohibited; information is permitted. The regulation of 12 November 2025 bars explicit and implicit advertising while allowing information given by authorised health professionals without direction.
This guide describes the practical communication consequences of the regulation. It is not legal opinion and should be assessed with your institution's legal function.
Separating the prohibited from the permitted
The regulation prohibits certificate-based titles, patient-satisfaction content, sponsored and brand-led posts, discount and campaign announcements, and promotion contrary to personal data protection law.
The permitted area is information consistent with the practitioner's field and with scientific and ethical principles. How the treatment process works, preparation conditions, recovery expectations, institutional identity and team structure can all be described.
Content types treated as prohibited in practice
- Patient reviews, satisfaction posts and thank-you messages
- Before-and-after imagery and outcome comparisons
- Discount, campaign and package price announcements
- Certificate-based title usage
- Sponsored and brand-led health posts
- Comparative superiority claims
Enforcement and responsibility
Breach can lead to administrative sanction, access blocking, sanctions under personal data protection law and, where applicable, criminal process.
Responsibility rests with the healthcare institution. Using an agency or a supplier does not remove it, which is why an internal approval flow is the most effective practical protection.
Building a compliant approval flow
The working model has three steps: assign an approver by content type, set a maximum turnaround for each approver, and record rejected phrasing.
Over time the rejected-phrase record becomes an institutional glossary and prevents the same errors recurring. It is the most practical way to lower compliance cost.
Responsibility is institutional
Using an agency does not remove it; an approval flow is essential.
Two filters
Turkish regulation and destination-market rules apply separately.
Working sequence
How we move, step by step
- 01Content sweep
All published content flagged for risk.
- 02Bucket separation
Permitted, conditional, prohibited and uncertain phrasing separated.
- 03Institutional glossary
Preferred and rejected phrasing written with reasons.
- 04Approval flow
Role-based chain and turnaround commitment defined.
- 05Periodic review
The framework refreshed when regulation changes.
Frequently asked questions
What institutions ask most about this
Can we post nothing on social media now?
You can. Process narrative, preparation information, institutional and team introductions and informative content remain permitted. Directive, claim-bearing and satisfaction-based content is restricted.
Should we remove patient reviews from our site?
Patient-satisfaction content is among the restricted headings. We recommend removing it from publication and assessing the position with your legal function.
Can we run Google advertising?
Platform policies and Turkish regulation must be assessed together. Information-led structures without claims are safer for both approval and compliance.
How real is the enforcement risk?
Administrative sanctions, access blocking and data protection penalties are set out in the regulation. Treating the risk as concrete and working preventively is the sensible approach.
Does an agency share responsibility?
An agency may carry contractual responsibility to you, but responsibility before the regulator sits with the healthcare institution. That is why an internal approval flow is indispensable.
How often does the regulation change?
Health communication regulation has been updated several times in recent years, which is why framework documents must be dated and reviewed periodically.
Next step
Let us sweep your content against the regulation
Share your published content and we will start with the risk sweep.