Acibadem Healthcare Group’s Medical Tourism Essay

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Since the beginning of the 1990s, Acibadem Healthcare Group has been in place to deliver high-quality care using the latest innovations and technology (MedRetrieat par. 1). Acibadem Healthcare Group currently occupies a leading place in the Turkish healthcare sector due to its advanced equipment (Trilogy, GammaKnife, CyberKnife, Truebeam STx, Rapidarc), highly-qualified staff, and bold and innovative projects (“About Acibadem” par. 1; MedRetrieat par. 1; “Technology” par. 3). Acibadem Healthcare Group can be considered as one of the moving forces in the Turkish healthcare that is focused on the ongoing development and improvement of the service excellence.

Hospitals of the Group such as Acibadem International Hospital specialize on the provision of health care services specifically for the patients who arrive in Turkey as medical tourists; the hospital is staffed with the professionals who can speak many foreign languages such as Russian, English, Spanish, Kyrgys, and the languages of the Balkans (“International Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey” par. 1). Besides, Acibadem hospitals have been accredited by the JCI (Joint Commission International) global standards for the sector of healthcare (Turkey Health Advisor par. 1). In addition, Acibadem Labmed now has ISO 15189 accreditation level which makes it one of the most influential labs in the region (Turkey Health Advisor par. 1). The Group does not only provide a wide range of high-quality services but also delivers the excellent patient experience and a high level of the client satisfaction.

Acibadem Healthcare Group currently includes 17 hospitals and 13 outpatient centers; the combined size of all the facilities of the Group equals 402000 square meters; it hires 13000 professionals (the number of physicians is 2500) (Acibadem Healthcare Group 7; Patients Beyond Borders par. 1). Moreover, the number of beds in the hospitals is 2146, and there are 98 ORs; further, according to the data of 2013, Acibadem Healthcare Group could accommodate 408660 inpatients (with 110000 surgical patients) and provide care to over 3 million outpatients; it also conducted about 6 and a half million lab tests and over 650000 of radiology tests (Acibadem Healthcare Group 7). Acibadem network spreads to 8 different countries such as Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, India, and Macedonia among others (“Why Acibadem?” par. 2).

To compare healthcare sectors of the United States of America and Turkey, it is important to identify the overall public health indicators in these countries. For instance, according to the data of 2007, life expectancy at birth in the USA (78.1) is higher than that in Turkey (73.2); however, throughout over three decades since 1970, this number has changed significantly for Turkey (from under 50 years old) and remained almost unchanged for the USA (from over 70 years old) (OECD 6). Life expectancy at 65 is twice higher in the USA population (OECD 16). Infancy deaths are 3.5 times more frequent in Turkey than in the USA (If It Were My Home par. 1). Also, the number of practicing physicians in the USA is 2.4 per 1000 people, while in Turkey it is 1.5, which indicates that the Turkish healthcare is understaffed and the population – underserved (OECD 11). The overall healthcare expenditures are more than twice as high in the USA as they are in Turkey (Anderson and Squires 3). At the same time, the residents of Turkey are almost 84% less likely to become exposed to HIV/ AIDS during the course of their life (If It Were My Home par. 1).