As well as seeing medical tourists to Turkey as good potential, Medicana Hospitals Group is looking to expand overseas. Having established a reputation for quality care as one of the leading private health care provider networks in Turkey, the Medicana Hospitals Group is looking to expand overseas. It is investigating the potential of running hospitals and providing management and hospitality services in countries from the Balkans to the Middle East, from Central Asia to North Africa. Active projects are underway in Romania and Bulgaria, while the group is also looking into potential opportunities in Libya, Egypt, Syria and Albania. Executives are talking to both private providers as well as public health managers to custom-tailor programs, including turnkey projects for setting up hospitals.

Medicana, along with other private health providers in Turkey, wants to grab a share of health tourism by expanding to countries in Turkey’s immediate neighborhood. Medicana operates in other countries mainly by the transfer of technology and expertise rather than direct investment. This includes running hospitals, designing the building and equipping them with state-of-the-art medical technology, managing hospital staff and providing hospitality services to patient’s relatives.

Medicana has secured contracts with health providers in other countries in which simple operations are conducted in domestic hospitals while high-risk surgery is referred to Medicana branches in either Istanbul or Ankara. Some of Medicana’s doctors and staff travel to these countries to perform surgery at hospitals there.

The group has recently started to receive patients from Iraq. Most cases are young children with heart problems, paid for by The Iraqi Health Ministry.Medicana offers very competitive rates for high-risk surgery. For many operations, the cost is one-tenth what is charged in the US and a third of European Union prices. For example, laser surgery on both eyes costs 3,000-5,000 euros in Europe, whereas it costs 1,500 euros in Turkey, including flights and a three-night hotel accommodation.

The group provides health and wellness services for heart surgery, advanced cancer treatment, cosmetic surgery, a fertility clinic, brain surgery and organ transplantation in its hospitals. Medicana’s surgery success record is well above the world average. To expand its health network, Medicana plans to establish a medical school and a nursing school.

The group established the Medicana International in December 2007 to cater especially to foreign diplomats and professionals working there. The hospital offers everything from family medical services to comprehensive surgery in one building. All doctors speak English, and the staff is specially trained to respond to the needs of foreign visitors. The hospital reached 80 percent of its operation capacity within its first year. With seven state-of-the-art hospitals in Istanbul and Ankara and more planned in other cities, the group is expanding both in the domestic market and abroad.

With state of the art facilities, equipment and expertise, Turkey is building a medical tourism industry that attracts patients to Turkish clinics and hospitals. Although some business is from Western Europe, the majority comes from the Middle East, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Albania, Armenia and Georgia.