Negotiating the Turkish Health System

One of the many advantages of getting Turkish residency is that it allows you to access the Turkish public health system.  Except for their high rate of smoking, Turks are quite a healthy group.  Their Mediterranean diet is excellent, they drink moderately (we have never seen any drunks and they have an excellent beer and wine industry – just one of the nice things about this secular Muslim country) and one rarely sees any obesity.  The vast majority of Turks seem fit and physically active.

Typical Turkish food

In our nearly two years since we first entered Turkey, (I can’t believe it has been that long but we did spend 4 months in Australia and traveled to 11 different countries in that time as well) we have had a few occasions where we needed to use the Turkish health system and I can honestly say the health care we received in Turkey is first class.

The first time was in July 2014 when Bob had caught a nasty bug in India and still was not well when we reached Turkey.  We went to Baskent University Hospital a private teaching hospital in Ankara, which was recommended by the Australian embassy, and Bob received the royal treatment.  Within minutes Bob was seen by a gastroenterologist and infectious disease specialist and had a colonoscopy arranged for two days hence.  Fortunately his problems were nothing too sinister and just the lingering effects of the nasty Indian bug which cleared with some anti-parasitic medication.  The whole procedure of seeing two specialist, blood tests, colonoscopy and medicine cost about $1500 Australian for which we had to pay up front but were fortunately reimbursed by our travel insurance.

Baskent Hospital in Ankara

The second time we needed Turkish health care was a few weeks after we bought Songster in September 2014 when Bob came down with pneumonia.  This resulted in 5 days in Ahu Hetman Hospital in Marmaris, another private hospital.  The care was excellent and very professional.  This episode cost 5000 euros and again we were reimbursed by our travel insurance.

Ahu Hospital in Marmaris where Bob spent 5 days

Then in this past month both Bob and I needed to see some health practitioners.  Bob wanted to get his knee looked at as it had been bothering him for some time and I needed my once every 2 year gynaecological exam of a pap smear and mammogram.  This time because we had our Ikamet residency card we chose to use the public hospital, Devlet Hastanesi.  The public hospital sits on top of a steep hill (one wonders if this was a sick joke of some sadistic cardiologist) and is crowded, very busy and not as flash looking as the private hospitals.  However for all the seeming chaos it works efficiently and the care is again first rate.  

The public hospital in Marmaris

The hospital employs two translators, Svetlana and Susan, who help any foreigner through the system.  They were fantastic.  They arranged for us to see doctors, walked us through the crowded corridors to the clinics and translated what the doctor said if he didn’t speak English.  Bob saw a physiotherapist who recommended an MRI that afternoon and some blood tests.  I saw a gynaecologist who did the smear in minutes and arranged for a mammogram later that day.  The total cost for seeing two doctors, blood test, pap smear and mammogram was under 400 Turkish Lira or about $200 Australian.  We got all the results is a few days, complete with another doctor visit to explain the result and a CD of images from the MRI and mammogram with no further charge.

So I have reflected on these interactions with the Turkish medical system with my public health and epidemiology hats on.  Turkish health care is of high quality and seems to work well.  It is affordable but could put a strain the average workers’ budget.  A shop assistant or office clerk earns about 2000 Turkish Lira a month.  

The reception counter at Devlet Hospital in a rare quiet time

For an Australian, the health care is incredibly cheap.  Australia has both public and private systems and the public system is covered by universal health care, Medicare, which is paid for through our taxes plus or minus a gap payment depending on the service.  So in Australia, at least in the ACT, I did not pay extra for pap smears or mammograms but would have had to pay about $60 to see a doctor for the smear.  An MRI would also be subsidised in Australia but chances would be that there would be a wait of a week or two for the procedure and a gap payment of a few hundred dollars would still have to be paid.   

So obtaining health care in foreign lands has been a fascinating journey.  At least in Turkey it is safe, affordable and of high quality.  Having made this statement from my personal experience, perhaps I should back it up with some facts and figures - maybe the subject of my next post.