A health tourism panel titled “A Vision for Future Doctors in a Globalizing World” was held at Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMÜ). The event, held at the OMÜ UZEM Conference Hall, addressed current developments in health tourism and Turkey’s position on a global scale.
Prof. Dr. Hakan Hakeri, Founding President of the Medical Law Association, who participated in the panel from the USA, contributed with his presentation titled “Health Tourism Law.” Dr. Ezgi Canpolat, on behalf of Behlül Ünver, General Manager of International Health Services Inc. (USHAŞ), presented “USHAŞ’s National and International Health Projects.” Prof. Dr. Hayati Akbaş, in his presentation titled “Medical Tourism,” assessed the current state of health tourism activities in Samsun.
Prof. Dr. Çetin Kurnaz, Vice Rector of OMÜ, stated in his speech titled “OMÜ’s Vision and Mission in Health Tourism” that 1.5 million health tourists came to Turkey in 2023 and 2 million in 2024. Kurnaz said that Samsun hosted 30,000 health tourists during the same period, and that approximately 5,000 of them chose OMÜ. Pointing out that Turkey holds 3% of the global health tourism market, Kurnaz noted that the per capita expenditure of health tourists ranges from $1,500 to $10,000.
Kurnaz emphasized that quality is fundamental to competition in the healthcare sector, stating that updating technological infrastructure and training qualified human resources are essential for providing quality services. He said that internationalization and increasing research capacity would strengthen universities’ position in this field.
Prof. Dr. Yetkin Bulut, Dean of the OMÜ Faculty of Tourism, who moderated the panel, stated that Turkey has reached world standards in the healthcare sector. Bulut said that social media and patient reviews have become effective promotional tools in health tourism, and that it is of great importance for every link in the chain—transportation, accommodation, healthcare services—to work in an integrated structure.
Prof. Dr. Fatih Özkan, President of the Samsun Health Tourism Association (SASTUD), also emphasized in his presentation titled “Civil Society Organizations in Health Tourism” that the focus should be on cooperation rather than competition between institutions. Özkan stated that significant developments have taken place in the areas of promotion and patient transfer, and that the active role of civil society organizations in these processes has made a major contribution.
The panel was attended by Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism Süleyman Demirtaş, along with numerous academics and students.
