Speaking at the Press Conference to introduce the Health Tourism Business Council, M.Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlı reminded tat Turkey earned 850 million dollars in 2010 from health tourism and the Council aims 500tousand patients and 10 billion dollars income in 2020.
He explained the road map as follows: They will first try to include Turkey in the policies of foreign insurance companies. Meetings will be held with related institutions, Ministry of Health being the first, to consider health tourism as an export of service. Initiatives will be taken to convince countries sending patient abroad, such as Kuwait, to include Turkey as a destination. The Council will follow up the proposal of Prime Minister Erdoğan to Obama made in April 2010 for Turkey to become the health partner of the US.
DEİK Steering Committee President Yırcalı mentioned that after the first sectoral Business council, health tourism Business council, DEİK will establish councils on education, energy and logistics.
The new Council’s President Ruşen Yıldırım said this sector is considered as a national sector in 51 countries and they will work to make it a national sector also in Turkey.
President of the Association of Accredited Hospitals, Mehmet Ali Aydınlar said Turkey was once sending patient to abroad but now she attracts patients.
Health Tourism Business Council is founded in 2010 under the umbrella of DEİK with the aim of creating a single roof for all organizations and institutions working in this sector.
