Emre Atceken is an entrepreneur who holds a Master of Business Administration – MBA from Istanbul Bilgi University. He founded We Cure medical facilitation in 2018. They facilitate concierge medical services for individuals and organisations via internationally accredited medical institutions in Antalya, Turkey. Their goal is to connect patients with trusted doctors, clinics and hospitals, regardless of location, time and budget.
Emre Atceken, who founded the We Cure, tells us why Health Tourism is on the rise.
Health Tourism is defined as tourism by people travelling abroad for healthcare motives. The flow of health tourism can be divided into two parts; from developed countries to developing ones and the other way. As the penetration of internet technology rises, online health tourism searches are becoming more popular not only in the UK but also all around the world. It enables potential tourists to search for the services and compare prices and qualities. Patients can also communicate with the medical staff and/or patient coordinators immediately and directly during the decision process around.
Long waiting lists and budget-induced healthcare financing difficulties drive many people in developed countries such as the UK to look for other alternative destinations. Aside from costs and accessibility to the treatment in their home country, another reason why people go overseas for treatment is that they have limited or no health insurance and are looking for more affordable options.
Affordability is the primary reason for the growth in health tourism. Just by travelling to another country, individuals have a chance to save thousands of pounds while receiving excellent healthcare. The clinics are very modern with state-of-the-art equipment and very experienced medical staff. Saving margins can be within 50% to 80% depending on procedures.
In addition to the main motives of travelling for health, conventional tourism can also not be ignored. The patient and/or companion will have the opportunity of visiting a different country and also enjoy a holiday at the same time. While health tourists are receiving high-quality and reliable health care, they can also enjoy the beaches, discover the city and explore the culture of the country.
Some procedures are the flagship of health tourism such as cosmetic surgeries, dental treatments and reproductive system – In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF). The remaining procedures that health tourists are in search of include bariatric surgery, eye surgery, orthopaedic surgery and organ, cell and tissue transplantation.
While Health Tourism is not a new industry, it is one of rapid growth. It is estimated that the average expenditure of a health tourist is about £5.000 and 14 million people travel abroad all over the world in a year. For this reason, the amount of countries trying to improve their service providers in health tourism is increasing continuously with the key stakeholders such as facilitating companies, website providers, financing companies and health care providers. Besides the positive amendments and improvements in healthcare services, policies and studies regarding health tourism have also gained momentum in developing countries. The fluctuation of income levels and the security systems which are on the verge of collapse will cause even more people to travel abroad for health issues soon.
For more information on We Cure and Health Tourism visit: www.wecure.co.uk
