Turkish Health Minister Koca: Turkey seeks to be health tourism epicenter

Turkey seeks to become an epicenter of health tourism, the country's health minister said on Thursday.

Turkey has already begun a branding process of its health tourism and the country will hold a grand launching in the next 1-2 months, Fahrettin Koca told Anadolu Agency's Editors' Desk in the capital Ankara.

As part of health tourism in 2018, a total of 500,000 foreign patients were treated in Turkey, Koca said adding the country has made a huge progress in health sector over the last 17 years.

Also, touching upon Turkey's goals in health sector, the minister said Turkey will establish health attaches and advanced diagnostic centers in targeted countries in the next period.

Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Bahrain and Qatar may be the targeted countries, he said, adding the follow-up and diagnosis services will be provided through advanced diagnostic centers in these countries.

Advanced diagnostic centers are aimed to provide check-up and follow-up services to patients who return to their countries after receiving treatment in Turkey.