Importance of health tourism in service export: İstanbul province private hospitals application

In recent years, reasons such as globalization, the development of technıology and transportation facilities in the communication network, the increase in the elderly population in the world, especially in developed countries, the long treatment periods in developed countries, the widespread use of health literacy, the protection of existing health, the increase in the need for access to health services and the increasing costs. have gradually increased the importance of health (medical) tourism in frame of the exportation of services. The studies carried out and efforts made in our country for the development of the health sector in recent years has given rise to the development of health tourism day by day and to an increase in the number of individuals coming to our country tou receive health services. In addition, it is stated that the foreign currency income to the country provided by health tourism has been increased and it is expected to continue increasing. In this research, the current practices of private hospitals providing inpatient treatment services in Istanbul, which is an important city for health tourism, are discussed. Through interviews and ontained qualitative data; it is aimed to find out which branches of private hospitals in Istanbul the medical tourists come for and why they prefer this city. It is also aimed to determine the current status of the determinants in the the exportation of health services; such as the branding strategies of private hospitals, which are service providers, the adequacy of their technological infrastructure, the employment of qualified labor and the quality of service they provide. The results of the study show that the most important reason for choosing a hospital is the affordability. and that the hospitals are sufficient in terms of technological infrastructure, inadequacies are encountered in terms of foreign language and personnel qualification, and geographical location and ease of transportation are important factors affecting patients' preferences. Considering limited studies conducted within the scope of private hospitals regarding their exportation of health services, this study constitutes an important resource for hospitals providing inpatient treatment in Istanbul not only to provide effective service, but also to develop strategies that can be efficient.