Evaluation of Turkey's Health Tourism Performance with the MOORA Method

Year 2023, Volume: 14 Issue: 1, 99 - 109, 01.02.2023

Ferit Sevim Ayten Turan Kurtaran

Abstract

In recent years, factors such as an aging population, varying illness burdens, numerous health technological breakthroughs in different regions, and ease of travel between countries have all contributed to the growth of health tourism. Adapting to this development, which promotes countries' economies, is now a must for policymakers in terms of resource allocation and strategic planning. The aim of this study is to evaluate Turkey's health tourism performance using multi-objective optimization (MOORA) based on ratio analysis, a multi-criteria decision-making method, and to reveal the current situation in order to contribute to the development of health tourism. In the study, 6 different indicators are used as performance criteria. The data covers 2009–2019. The MOORA-Ratio method and the MOORA-Reference Point Approach were used together. In the study, it is seen that the health tourism performance has increased gradually over the years. According to the ratio method, the best performance was achieved in 2017, and according to the reference point approach, in 2014. Suggestions were made in order to increase the performance of health tourism and to reach the targets determined in the strategic plan.

Keywords

Health tourism, health tourism performance, MOORA method, multi-criteria decision making methods, Turkey.

Türkiye'nin Sağlık Turizmi Performansının MOORA Metodu ile Değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

Son yıllarda yaşlanan nüfus, değişen hastalık yükleri, farklı bölgelerdeki farklı tıbbi teknolojik gelişmeler, ülkeler arası ulaşım kolaylığı gibi faktörler sağlık turizminin gelişmesine neden olmaktadır. Ülkelerin ekonomilerine katkı sağlayan bu gelişmeye uyum sağlamak, kaynak kullanımı ve stratejik planlama açısından politika yapıcılar için kaçınılmaz hale gelmiştir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Türkiye'nin sağlık turizmi performansını çok kriterli karar verme yöntemi olan oran analizi temeline dayanan çok amaçlı optimizasyon (MOORA) ile değerlendirmek, sağlık turizminin gelişmesine katkı sağlamak için mevcut durumu ortaya koymaktır. Çalışmada, 6 farklı performans kriteri gösterge olarak kullanılmıştır. Veriler, 2009-2019 yıllarını kapsamaktadır. Veriler elde edilirken Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK) veri tabanı kullanılmıştır. MOORA-Oran yöntemi ve MOORA-Referans Noktası Yaklaşımı birlikte kullanılarak çeyreklik dönemlerin performans sıralaması elde edilmiştir. Çalışmada sağlık turizmi performansının yıllar içinde giderek arttığı görülmektedir. Oran yöntemine göre en iyi performans 2017 yılında, referans noktası yaklaşımına göre ise 2014 yılında elde edilmiştir. Sağlık turizminin performansının artırılması ve stratejik planda belirlenen hedeflere ulaşılması için önerilerde bulunulmuştur.

Keywords

Sağlık turizmi, sağlık turizmi performansı, MOORA yöntemi, çok kriterli karar verme yöntemleri, Türkiye.

References

• Al-Natour, D. (2020). A review on efforts of health tourism in Turkey. Journal of Social and Humanities Sciences Research, 7(59), 2739-2744.
• Assaf, A. G. & Josiassen, A. (2012). Identifying and Ranking the Determinants of Tourism Performance: A Global Investigation. Journal of Travel Research, 51(4), 388-399. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287511426337
• Aydin, G. & Karaahmet, B. (2017). Factors affecting health tourism and international health-care facility choice. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, 11(1), 16-36. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPHM-05-2015-0018
• Beladi, H., Chao, C.C., Ee, M.S. & Hollas, D. (2015). Medical tourism and health worker migration in developing countries. Economic Modelling, 46, 391-396, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2014.12.045
• Brauers W.K.M. & Zavadskas E.K. (2006). The MOORA method and its application to privatization in a transition economy. Control and Cybernetics, 35(2): 445-469.
• Bulut, T., & Durur, G. (2017). Evaluation of Turkey's Health Tourism Performance with TOPSIS Method. Journal of Health and Social Policies, 1, 82-99.
• Cavmak, D. & Cavmak, S. (2020). Using AHP to prioritize barriers in developing medical tourism: case of Turkey. Int J Travel Med Glob Health, 8(2), 73-79. doi:10.34172/ijtmgh.2020.12.52
• Çetin, O. (2022). Türkiye’nin Sağlık Turizmi Performansının Topsıs Yöntemi İle Değerlendirilmesi (2004-2019). Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli Üniversitesi SBE Dergisi, 12 (1), 638-655. DOI: 10.30783/nevsosbilen.978142
• Chakraborty, S. (2011). Applications of the MOORA method for decision making in manufacturing environment. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 54, 1155–1166. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-010-2972-0
• Connell, J. (2006). Medical Tourism: Sea, Sun, Sand and Surgery. Tourism Management, 27, 1093-1100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2005.11.005
• Díaz, M. R. & Rodríguez, T. F. E. (2016). Determining the sustainability factors and performance of a tourism destination from the stakeholders’ perspective. Sustainability, 8(9), 1-17.
• Durkalić, D., Furtula, S. & Borisavljević, K. (2019). Ranking tourism market performance in EMU countries: Results of PROMETHEE-GAIA approach. Menadžment u hotelijerstvu i turizmu, 7(2), 67-76.
• Görener, A. (2016). Integrated SWOT-AHS Approach in Evaluating the Medical Tourism Sector in Turkey. Alphanumeric Journal, 4(2), 159-170.
• General Directorate of Health Services, (2021). Authorized Intermediary Institutions. Retrieved from https://shgmturizmdb.saglik.gov.tr/Eklenti/41204/0/yetkilendirilmis-araci-kuruluslarpdf.pdf?_tag1=E6F52062280CBD06BE0F688EABACEB7C90DB4737 (Accessed on: 18.04.2021).
• Health Ministry, (2019). Strategic Plan for 2019-2023. Retrieved from https://stratejikplan.saglik.gov.tr/files/TC-Saglik-Bakanligi-2019-2023-Stratejik-Plan.pdf (Accessed on: 12.04.2021).
• İlban, M. O. & Yıldırım, H. H. (2017). Determination of tourism activities of the world’s best tourism destinations using the multi-criteria decision-making method. Cogent Social Sciences, 3(1), 1-16.
• Kalibatas, D., & Turskis, Z. (2008). Multicriteria evaluation of inner climate by using MOORA method. Information technology and control, 37(1).
• Kaya S., Yıldırım, H.H., Karsavuran S., Özer Ö. (2013). Turkey Medical Tourism Evaluation Report (2013), Ministry of Health General Directorate of Health Services, Department of Health Tourism Ankara.
• Korkmaz, M., Aytac, A., Yücel, A. S., Kiliç, B., Toker, F. & Gümüs, S. (2014). Health tourism in Turkey and practical example of its economic dimensions. IIB International Refereed Academic Social Sciences Journal, 5(15), 229.
• Lunt, N., Smith, R. D., Exworthy, M., Green, S. T., Horsfall, D. G. & Mannion, R. (2011). Medical Tourism: Treatments, Markets and Health System Implications: A scoping review. OECD. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/48723982.pdf .
• Merdivenci, F. & Karakaş, H. (2020). Analysis of factors affecting health tourism performance using Fuzzy DEMATEL method. Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research, 8(2), 371-392.
• Omay, E.G.G., & Cengiz, E. (2013). Health tourism in Turkey: Opportunities and threats. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences MCSER Publishing, 4(10), 424-431. doi:10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n10p424.
• Parida, A. & Kumar, U. (2006). Applications and case studies maintenance performance measurement (MPM): issues and challenges. Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, 12(3), 239-251.
• Peters, C.R. & Sauer, K.M. (2011). A survey of medical tourism service providers. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 5(3): 117-126.
• Regulation on International Health Tourism & Tourist Health (2017). Official Journal No:30123, 13.07.2017. (Accessed on: 04.04.2021).
• Rodrigues, H., Brochado, A., Troilo, M. & Mohsin, A. (2017). Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all? A critical content analysis on medical tourism. Tourism Management Perspectives, 24, 16-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2017.07.004.
• Salmon, J. W. (2008). Emerging trends in outsourcing healthcare: medical tourism. American health & drug benefits, 1(7), 27.
• SATURK, (2017). What is health tourism?. Retrieved from http://www.saturk.gov.tr/images/pdf/tyst/02.pdf (Accessed on: 24.03.2021).
• Sengul, C. & Çora, H. (2020). Healthcare Tourism in Second Decade of 21st Century: A Review of Turkey as the New Global Center for International Patients. Journal of Health Systems and Policies (JHESP), 2(1), 56-86.
• Tengilimoğlu, D. (2021). Health tourism and state support and incentives. Journal of Life Economics. 8(1), 1-10, DOI: 10.15637/jlecon.8.1.01.
• Turner, L. (2007). First world health care at third world prices’: globalization, bioethics and medical tourism. BioSocieties, 2 (3), 303.
• TUIK, (2021). Statistics Data Portal. Retrieved from https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Kategori/GetKategori?p=egitim-kultur-spor-ve-turizm-105&dil=1 (Accessed on: 12.05.2021)
• TURSAB (2014). Turkish Healthcare Tourism Report Retrieved from http://www.tursab.org.tr/dosya/12186/saglikturizmiraporu_12186_5485299.pdf (Accessed on: 02.05.2021)
• UNWTO (2018). Exploring Health Tourism – Executive Summary, UNWTO, Madrid, DOI: https://doi.org/10.18111/9789284420308
• UNWTO, W. (2019). International tourism highlights, 2019 edition. World Tourism.
• UNWTO, (2021). Basic Tourism Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.unwto.org/statistic/basic-tourism-statistics (Accessed on: 02.05.2021)
• Zopounidis, C., Baourakis, G. & Niklis, D. (2010). A comparative study of tourism performance in the Mediterranean region: A multicriteria approach. International Journal of Information and Decision Sciences, 2(3), 285-303.