Türkiye, a popular destination for medical tourism, is introducing new rules to ensure patient safety and accountability in the industry. According to a draft regulation prepared by the Health Ministry, all foreign patients seeking medical treatment in Türkiye will be required to have both complication insurance and travel health insurance before receiving care.
The country’s health tourism industry has been growing rapidly, attracting 1.5 million visitors and generating $3 billion in revenue last year. However, concerns have risen over unlicensed and unauthorized procedures, leading to medical complications for some patients.
To address these issues, the new regulations will hold healthcare facilities and agencies fully responsible for the services they provide to international patients. These establishments must also get approval from USHAŞ, a health services company under the ministry, and display the official “HealthTürkiye” logo to show they meet the required standards.
Additionally, all agencies assisting international patients must run a 24/7 call center in at least two languages to provide support. USHAŞ will conduct inspections, and any organization failing to meet the standards will have 30 business days to fix the issues.
Healthcare providers and agencies must also maintain foreign-language websites and report their service details to the ministry’s official portal. Institutions that lose their certification due to non-compliance will be banned from reapplying for six months.
These measures aim to improve service quality, protect patients from risks, and strengthen Türkiye’s reputation as a leading medical tourism destination.
