2 yıl önce

Hair transplant industry gives Türkiye's medical tourism a $2B boost

Leader of medical tourism group says around a million people came to Türkiye in 2022 and spent approximately $2 billion on hair transplants.

Reuters

On average, hair transplant patients spend about $2,000 dollars for a procedure in Türkiye.

Around one million people came to Türkiye in 2022 and spent approximately $2 billion on hair transplant procedures, the head of the Turkish Health Tourism Association has announced, pointing to the continued boom in the multi-billion industry.

“Half of the $4 billion turnover in 2022 was obtained from hair transplantation services," Dr. Servet Terziler said in a news report published on Wednesday by Anadolu News agency.

"If we assume that the foreign currency left by an average patient for hair transplantation is $2,000 dollars, we can say that 1 million people came to Türkiye for hair transplantation in 2022,” Terziler added.

In comparison in Europe, the same procedure could cost the patient between $5,000 to $10,000.

Terziler had earlier told the Daily Sabah that customers in the country mainly come from continental Europe, including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, Netherlands and Germany.

There are also "health tourists" coming from Brazil, Argentina, Canada and even Australia, New Zealand and Israel.

Safety record

According to a London Economic website article, Türkiye has already established itself for decades as a "go-to destination" for hair transplant owing to the presence of thousands of expert surgeons in the country.

"These professionals have been performing hair transplants for decades, with amazing hair transplant results to show," the article said.

"Most people want to undergo hair transplant surgery in the safest hands, and Türkiye is just where to find them," it added.

At the same time, the country's experts is also widely regarded to use the most advanced hair transplant technology and techniques. Some clinics have now started to use robotic hair transplantation, increasing the quality of health services with technology and innovation, according to Terziler.

Furthermore, Türkiye itself is an attractive tourist destination, giving medical tourists the opportunity to do other recreational activities when their transplant procedures are completed.

And it is not just hair transplant services that Türkiye is leading globally.

According to Terziler, Türkiye also exceeded the $500 million turnover in dental services and about $400 million in aesthetic surgery in 2022.

Stating that foreign tourists also showed massive interest in spa tourism, he said that a figure exceeding $10 billion had been reached during the same period.

Strong health infrastructure

Terziler said the immediate goal of the health tourism sector is to reach a figure of $20 billion.

Stressing that Türkiye had a very good crisis management experience in the field of health during the coronavirus period, he said: “Türkiye’s health infrastructure is very strong. We have increased quality to the highest level with our doctors and assistant health personnel.”

Noting that they are receiving a “very serious demand” from the European countries, Terziler said by making insurance agreements between the states, efforts are made to ensure that foreigners receive health services in our country.

Türkiye’s largest city “Istanbul is taking a firm step toward its goal of becoming the health tourism capital of the world,” he said.

Noting the stagnation during the COVID-19 pandemic due to travel restrictions across the world, he said that the demand accumulated at that time caused the density in 2022.

“We are also very hopeful for 2023.”