TREATMENT TYPE AS A FACTOR IN MEDICAL TOURISM DESTINATION PREFERENCES: THE CASE OF TURKEY

Yıl 2017, Cilt: 2 Sayı: 2, 58 - 72, 11.12.2017

Aydan Özdemir Feride Bahar Işın Bülent Eşiyok

Öz

Medical
tourism has grown rapidly with its increased availability in destination
countries, which has resulted in intense competition to attract medical
tourists. At the same time, the preferred destinations of medical tourists have
shifted from developed to developing countries. This is a result of high costs,
uneven health services and quality, long waiting lists, and poor access to health-care
services in the tourists’ home countries coupled with greater privacy and
confidentiality available overseas. The choice of location choice is likely to be
affected by the treatment needed. Currently, few empirical studies have taken
into account the heterogeneity in treatment types offered at a subnational
level. The present study aims to address this gap: it analyzes the factors that
affect the location choice of international patients diagnosed with chronic
illnesses in need of treatment at surgical or internal medicine clinics in
Turkey. We use a panel of annual data for Turkish cities that hosted medical
tourists over a 4-year period. We found that patients who underwent treatment
at surgical or internal medicine clinics evidenced different sensitivities to
climate conditions, costs, and the ratio of private to total hospitals in their
destination cities. However, we discovered no considerable differences in the
responses related to travel convenience or the existence of local medical expertise.

Anahtar Kelimeler

surgical clinic, internal medicine clinic, chronic illness, medical tourist, health infrastructure, travel convenience, climate

Kaynakça

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