TY - JOUR T1 - Medical Tourism Cost Index: A Comparative Analysis of Global Treatment Costs TT - Medikal Turizm Cost Index: Küresel Tedavi Ücretlerinin Karşılaştırmalı İncelemesi AU - Yorulmaz, Mehmet PY - 2026 DA - January Y2 - 2025 DO - 10.59372/turajas.1817750 JF - Turkish Research Journal of Academic Social Science JO - TURAJAS PB - Hüdaverdi BİRCAN WT - DergiPark SN - 2667-4491 SP - 171 EP - 176 VL - 8 IS - 2 LA - en AB - The globalization of healthcare services and the rising demand for affordable medical procedures have positioned medical tourism as a rapidly expanding component of the global health economy. The Medical Tourism Cost Index 2021 provides a comprehensive overview of international treatment costs across major destinations, highlighting the economic disparities and competitiveness within the healthcare market. This study conducts a comparative analysis of surgical and therapeutic procedure prices in leading medical tourism destinations including the United States, Colombia, India, Jordan, Mexico, South Korea, Thailand, Ukraine, and Vietnam. Data from 2021 were evaluated to identify cost variations among countries and regions, focusing on procedures such as angioplasty, bypass surgery, joint replacement, cosmetic surgeries, and ophthalmic treatments. Findings reveal significant differences in medical service pricing, with developing countries in Asia and Eastern Europe offering up to 80% lower costs than those in North America. These results emphasize the critical role of cost in shaping global patient mobility and underscore the importance of strategic policy planning for countries aiming to strengthen their medical tourism competitiveness. KW - Medical tourism KW - health economics KW - treatment cost comparison KW - global healthcare KW - surgical pricing index. N2 - Sağlık hizmetlerinin küreselleşmesi ve uygun maliyetli tedavilere yönelik artan talep, sağlık turizmini küresel sağlık ekonomisinin hızla büyüyen bir bileşeni hâline getirmiştir. Medical Tourism Cost Index 2021, dünya genelindeki başlıca destinasyonlarda uygulanan tedavi maliyetlerini kapsamlı biçimde ortaya koyarak, sağlık hizmeti pazarındaki ekonomik farklılıkları ve rekabet düzeyini gözler önüne sermektedir.Bu çalışma, Amerika, Kolombiya, Hindistan, Ürdün, Meksika, Güney Kore, Tayland, Ukrayna ve Vietnam gibi önde gelen sağlık turizmi destinasyonlarında cerrahi ve terapötik işlem fiyatlarının karşılaştırmalı analizini gerçekleştirmektedir. 2021 yılı verileri, anjiyoplasti, kalp baypası, eklem protezleri, estetik cerrahiler ve göz tedavileri gibi işlemlerde ülkeler arası maliyet farklılıklarını belirlemek amacıyla değerlendirilmiştir. Bulgular, tıbbi hizmet fiyatlarında önemli farklılıklar bulunduğunu; Asya ve Doğu Avrupa’daki gelişmekte olan ülkelerde maliyetlerin Kuzey Amerika’ya kıyasla %80’e kadar daha düşük olduğunu göstermektedir. Bu sonuçlar, maliyet unsurunun küresel hasta hareketliliğini şekillendirmedeki kritik rolünü vurgulamakta ve sağlık turizmi rekabetini artırmak isteyen ülkeler için stratejik politika planlamasının önemine dikkat çekmektedir. CR - Badulescu, D., & Badulescu, A. (2014). Medical tourism: between entrepreneurship opportunities and bioethics boundaries: narrative review article. Iran J Public Health., 43(4), 406–415. PMID: 26005650; PMCID: PMC4433721. CR - Ganguli, S., & Ebrahim, A. H. (2017). A qualitative analysis of Singapore’s medical tourism competitiveness. Tourism Management Perspectives, 21, 74–84. CR - Hadian, M., Jabbari, A., Mousavi, S. H., & Sheikhbardsiri, H. (2021). Medical tourism development: A systematic review of economic aspects. 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CR - Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Health. (n.d.). HealthTürkiye (Official portal). Retrieved October 2025, from https://www.healthturkiye.gov.tr. UR - https://doi.org/10.59372/turajas.1817750 L1 - https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/5393440 ER -