国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Turkey aims for global leadership in health tourism_时事

国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Turkey aims for global leadership in health tourism

"Health and care for the elderly is a very costly business. Many countries are looking for ways to reduce the high costs. With its sun, qualified medical facilities, as well as personnel and thermal facilities, Turkey has had a great opportunity," Agbal said.

For 2018, the medical tourism industry in Turkey aims to attract 800,000 patients and 8 billion dollars in revenue, with East Asia as one of the most promising markets.

According to Cakmak, Turkey received 200 Chinese tourists for esthetic or anti-aging therapies in 2017, and expects 1,000 Chinese tourists this year as the cost here is 50 percent less than Switzerland and the United States.

In fact, treatments are offered in almost all fields of medicine ranging from organ transplants, cardiovascular treatments to obesity and eye surgery.

"I had to wait up to a year in the Netherlands to have a cataract surgery for my eyes, but here it was done in a matter of days and I am really happy with the result," Joost Van der Bosh, a foreign patient who had his surgery in Turkey's southern city of Antalya, told Xinhua.

Turkey has also become a pioneer in hair implantation, with people from more than 70 countries seeking hair implant services in the trans-continental country.

"Turkey is one of the leading countries in the world in the field of hair transplantation. Our doctors dealing with health tourism have serious hand skills," said Ozlem Safiye Kurt, a professional in the medical tourism sector.