Unrestricted travel from Syria turns Hatay into ‘health base’

Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Bayram Kerkez, manager of the Hatay Provincial Directorate of Health, said more Syrian patients have flocked to Hatay to receive health services in recent weeks compared to the period prior to the visa exemption, noting: “More patients from neighboring countries in the region, particularly Syria, prefer Hatay for health services nowadays. We should take advantage of this and exert extra effort to better promote the city’s health industry.”

According to Kerkez, the province, located on the Syrian border, will enjoy an even larger boom in what is called “health tourism” if incentives are provided.

Noting that both private and public hospitals as well as clinics have enjoyed an increase in the number of foreign patients, Kerkez said patients from Syria cited “more developed health services” for choosing Hatay as a treatment destination.

Dr. Hamit Özen, from a private hospital that offers laser eye surgery, says they receive 100 Syrian patients on average each month. “The majority of our patients say they come to us because they have previously failed to find a cure in their country,” he notes. “In addition to Syria, we have patients from Lebanon, Iraq and Iran,” Özen says, adding that his hospital has become a base for foreign health services following the abolishment of visa requirements.” Özen underlined that they place importance on providing the best treatment they can for these people, who put their trust in the experience of Turkish doctors.

According to Dr. Tural Terzi, the head of the private Hatay Hospital, the city has enough potential to grow further as a center for health services in the years to come.

Recalling that health services are provided for free in Syria, Fazlı Altınay, general manager of the private Antakya Defne Hospital, notes that hospitals in the country lag behind those in Turkey in regards to benefiting from the latest technological advancements. “Health services in Turkey are far better than in Syria. That’s why these people prefer us,” he stated. Altınay said officials from Syria’s Aleppo Medical Chamber recently visited his hospital to discuss possible cooperation and to share of knowledge on the health industry.