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The 2023 edition of the Global Health Sector and Medical Tourism Trends Report, which provides clues about health expenditures in the global and domestic markets, the general condition of the health sector and the development of medical tourism, has been published. In the report in question, it is estimated that the global medical tourism market value will reach 120 billion dollars by the end of 2023, while the countries that offer the best medical tourism opportunities are also included.

TURKEY — The Global Health Sector and Medical Tourism Trends 2023 report, which provides comprehensive data on the current state of the health sector, which is fighting the global epidemic, has been published. In the report prepared by Grant Thornton, a tax, audit and consultancy services provider, the expenditure balances in the global and domestic health market, the general situation of the health sector, medical technologies, the structure of the health system and medical tourism data were brought together. The report, which was compiled from data obtained from open sources such as the World Bank, Worldometer, World Health Organization, and Ministry of Health, shed light on the current outlook of the health industry after the global epidemic.

Sharing his evaluations on the subject, Grant Thornton Turquality and Management Consulting President Dr Aziz Murat Hatipağaoğlu said, "Our health trends report, in which we examine health metrics, expenditures, health system infrastructure, health system accessibility and the main lines of medical tourism, offers a panorama of domestic and international markets to companies that want to invest in health, professionals working in the health field and academia."

The number of doctors in Turkey is almost 50% below the OECD average

In the "Global Overview of the Health Sector - Health Sector Workers" section of the mentioned report, striking findings about the density of doctors and nurses in Turkey and the world were included. According to 2019 data, among OECD countries, Greece had the highest doctor density, i.e., the number of doctors per thousand people, with six doctors, while the OECD average was 4 in the relevant year. Turkey, with 2 doctors, stayed 50% below this average. As for nurse density, data showed that Switzerland ranked first with approximately 18 nurses, while Turkey, with approximately 2 nurses, was 77% below the OECD average of 9. On the other hand, Turkey ranked ninth among countries sorted by the number of hospitals.

Emphasizing that the high density of doctors and nurses reduces the avoidable death rate and waiting times, Dr Aziz Murat Hatipağaoğlu said, "The increasing out-migration of health personnel in Turkey adversely affects these densities. This naturally leads to increased avoidable death rates and operation waiting times.”

Heart diseases are the most common in Turkey.

According to the current data from the World Health Organization, ischemic heart disease, with approximately 9 million deaths, is among the most common causes of death worldwide, followed by stroke and COPD. In the number of deaths caused by chronic diseases, cardiovascular diseases took the lead with 17.86 million. According to the DALY index, the most common disease in Turkey in 2021 was heart disease, with a rate of 22%, while bronchi, lung cancer and stroke, with a rate of 13%, were found to be in second place among common diseases. These diseases were followed by COPD, depression and back and low back pain with 9%. On the other hand, 2020 data revealed that the country with the highest health expenditures as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) is the USA, with 18.8%. In Turkey, it was determined that 4.6% of GDP is spent on health.

Noting that deaths from cardiovascular diseases tend to decrease in developed countries, Dr Aziz Murat Hatipağaoğlu commented, "The high rates of cardiovascular diseases in Turkey can be explained by factors such as unhealthy diet, insufficient physical activity, tobacco and alcohol use.”

The Asia-Pacific region will mark medical tourism

The report titled "Global Health Sector and Medical Tourism Trends" also included global health and medical tourism trends. While it was recorded that the market value of the global medical tourism market exceeded $97 billion in 2022, it is predicted that the most significant growth in this industry will occur in the Asia-Pacific region in the coming years. In the analysis made from the data provided by the Medical Tourism Index, the ranking of the top 5 destination countries for medical tourism worldwide are Canada, Singapore, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom. Orthopedics, bariatrics, oncology and fertility treatments came to the fore.

“We hope the report will be useful to the industry”

Pointing out that patient movements in medical tourism are affected by many factors such as doctor, family or friend advice, insurance coverage, proximity to destination, cultural similarities, and confidentiality of treatment, Granth Thornton Turquality and Management Consulting President Dr Aziz Murat Hatipağaoğlu concluded his evaluations with the following statements:

“The factor that has transformed our country into one of the essential destinations in the areas we have listed is undoubtedly the fact that patients can receive high-quality service at more affordable prices compared to the country they live in. The fact that Turkey is the leading country in its region in terms of qualified personnel, advanced technology equipment and especially oncological treatment centres brings its star to shine in other treatments in the global arena.”

“Grant Thornton Turkey, which has been operating in Turkey since 1986 and offers independent auditing, tax, accounting and consultancy services to its customers with a team of approximately 250 people who stand out with their extensive experience in their fields of expertise, the trend report we have published is beneficial to all professionals working in the health and medical tourism sectors.”