6th International Health Tourism Congress
Health Tourism within Turkey's 2023
Vision: World Trends and Turkey
Cristina Cardona, MBA
Executive Global Program Manager
Medical Tourism Association
Medical Tourism Association
The Global Voice in the Medical Tourism Industry
15 Regional Offices 300 Members 100 countries
Evaluation Report on Medical
Tourism in Turkey
Ministry of Health - 2012
Results SWOT Analysis
(source Evaluation Report on Medical Tourism in Turkey, Ministry of Health 2012)
Strengths
• Leading country in the health sector
• Qualified human resources, and health infrastructure and technology
• Attractive Tourism Offer
• Service Sector: good position
• Experienced in Health Tourism
• Affordable costs and short waiting times
• Legal Regulations and State Support
Weaknesses
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Too Focused on production, neglects Marketing
Very few org in both public and private sectors
Weak cooperation-corporation culture
Lack of clear national strategy for management of Health
Tourism
• Lack of attention to the importance of sharing data and
information with Ministry of Health
Results SWOT Analysis
(source Evaluation Report on Medical Tourism in Turkey, Ministry of Health 2012)
Opportunities
• Medical Tourism Demand is increasing
• Easy to obtain information on options worldwide
• Turkey’s strength is increasing internationally
• Ministry of Economic Affairs, Health and Tourism support
• Geo and socio-political position
Threats
• Political instability of neighboring countries
• Growing Demand for doctors in western countries
• State Interventions. Lacking Service Standards in Health Tourism
• Lacking domestically, institutions for accreditation on the basis
on international standards
How can Turkey Gain
Competitive Advantage in the Medical
Tourism Industry?
How can Turkey gain competitive advantage?
Source: Michael Porter National Diamond framework
Factor Conditions
Highly specialized resources
• Well educated and well qualified
physicians and other health staff
• Accreditation of healthcare
organizations by international
standardization organizations
Opportunity for Turkey:
1. Healthcare Industry: Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)
2. Hospitality Industry –Investment in Training and Development
Programs
1. FOCUS ON CQI
Provider Priority Areas
MTA Solutions
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Global Physician Exchange Network
MTA Membership
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Certification Programs
 International Patient Services
 Clinical Service/COE
 Patient Experience & Patient Engagement
 Patient Grievances & Complaints
CQI
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CQI Training & Program Development
Strategic CQI Planning
International Standards Assessment & Training
Program Development Tools
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Policy & Protocol Development
Auditing & Performance Monitoring Tools
Job Descriptions
Technology Integration
Operational & Performance
Evaluation
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Data Measurement & Analysis Training
Workflow Optimization Analysis
Industry Knowledge
Best Practices
2. Hotel & Hospitality Industry
Consumer Perspective
Results 2013 Medical Tourism Survey Report
conducted by George Washington University
School of Business in collaboration with MTA
Number of Nights Medical Tourists Stay?
21 nights or more
31%
11 to 20 nights
31%
Five to ten nights
8%
Three nights
8%
15%
Two nights
8%
No nights
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Source: 2013 Medical Tourism Survey Report by George Washington University School of Business in collaboration with the
MTA
How big is the industry?
How much does a medical tourism generate?
• $3,500 - $10,000 medical services
• $7,500 - $16,000 total revenue
• $4,000 - $6,000 tourism and hospitality
A medical tourist spends on average
5-10 more than a regular tourism
Source: 2013 Medical Tourism Survey Report by George Washington University School of Business in collaboration with the MTA
Training & Development
Hotel & Hospitality Industry
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Staff Training for Medical Concierge Program
Culturally & Linguistically Competent Staff
Customized Dietary Accommodations
Special Arrangements for Post Op Patients – Laundry,
Handicap , Wheel Chair Accessible Facility
• Medical Attention on-site/on-call
Related & Supporting Industries
The presence of supporting industries is
of critical importance to the growth of
the medical tourism industry.
A critical concept here is that national
competitive strengths tend to be associated
with "clusters" of industries.
Opportunity for Turkey:
• Stronger medical tourism clusters
which unite all stakeholders in the industry
Clusters In Medical Tourism
A Medical Tourism Cluster can achieve significant results
by:
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Developing Common Goals
Developing a National & International Structure
Developing Quality Practices
Developing a Regional and National Brand
Setting benchmarks for the rest of the country
Medical Cluster
Department of Health of Area or
Ministry of Health
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Educational workshops
for providers
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Certification Programs
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Familiarization tours for
facilitators
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International
conferences for
leadership image &
buyers
Medical Facilities
Destination Marketing Org. of
Area or Ministry of Tourism
Tourism Providers
Hospitals
Hotels &
Hotel Assn.
Medical
Equipment
Specialty
Clinics
Restaurants
Insurance
providers
Cosmetic &
Dental
Tour
Operators
Universities
Travel
Providers
Ref: Dan Cormany
Professional
Associations
Benefits of Cluster Businesses
Increases Productivity
Increases budget availability through local, national and/or international sources
Allows to unite resources, technology, skills, information, knowledge to develop a unified
marketing strategy increasing marketing effectiveness in selected target markets
Increases and improves quality standards through training and certification
programs
Improves brand awareness on an international level with increased visibility
Demand Conditions
Provide the primary driver of growth, innovation and quality
improvement. It requires paying attention to the
quantity and quality of the demand.
Opportunity for Turkey:
• Take on Leadership Role
• Develop Value Proposition
• Continuous and consistent
marketing & communication
strategy
Strategy, Structure and Rivalry
Competition plays a big role in driving innovation and increasing
competitive advance
Define strategy based on
Value Proposition
Opportunities for Turkey:
• Work with strategic partners
• Leverage Internet Presence and Social Media
Reach
U.S. Employers & Insurers
 Insurance companies have implemented medical
tourism or “pilot” programs in medical tourism
Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, WellPoint,
Swiss Re and others.
 Self funded employers have implemented medical
tourism such as HSM, Blue Lake Casino and
others.
 Medical Tourism represents an innovative way to
reduce healthcare costs while maintaining high
quality of healthcare
Referring Physicians
Opportunity to Increase International Patients
Collaboration with physicians and hospitals from around the world in the area of
training, clinical development, patient safety and quality, and the refering of
patients
The desirable traits of a “good” medical tourism doctor/surgeon
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Supported by a comprehensive clinical team at his/her hospital/surgical center
Has a professional relationship with international colleagues, including referring physicians
Has an open and transparent system for sharing operative reports, discharge orders, labs and
diagnostic studies
Has well established policies for managing postop complications and readmissions
Someone that goes beyond good marketing to ensure low perioperative risk and ‘best’ outcomes
Advanced medical training through a reputable university
Residency and fellowship through a recognized hospital system
Affiliated with a highly regarded hospital system
History of low risk, low complications, best outcomes and high volume of surgery
How can the Medical Tourism Association help Turkey
gain a competitive advantage?
BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE MEDICAL TOURISM PROGRAM
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SUSTAINABLE
MEDICAL
TOURISM
PRESENCE
Evaluation and Performance
Measurement Tools
Marketing Strategy & Connections with key partners
Program Development in Healthcare and Hospitality
1
Quality Improvement through CQI Solutions
Thank you!
Cristina Cardona, MBA
Executive Global Program Manager
Medical Tourism Association
cristina@medicaltourismassociation.com