- Introduction: gastric bypass
- Chapter 1: gastric bypass surgery
- Chapter 2: gastric bypass surgery requirements
- Chapter 3: gastric bypass diet
- Chapter 4: gastric bypass surgery cost
- Chapter 5: gastric bypass in Turkey (you’re here)
- Chapter 6: gastric bypass recovery
- Chapter 7: gastric bypass complications
- Chapter 8: gastric bypass revision
Chapter 5
What makes gastric bypass in Turkey so unique? The biggest interest comes when you hear about its competitive prices yet serves as good quality as other countries. Healthcare-wise gastric bypass in Turkey holds many advantages that you may find tempting.
This chapter will guide you to getting a gastric bypass in Turkey and help with giving a conclusion for your decision to travel abroad for weight-loss surgery. Let’s check and learn all the pros and cons and the details!
What makes Turkey stand out as a medical travel destination?
Turkey is a popular medical travel destination. There are many reasons for it including the healthcare system, tempting prices, and the country itself. Here is what makes Turkey attractive in people’s eyes:
High-quality healthcare: Turkey is high for its advanced and specialized equipment that is available in both clinics and hospitals. Bariatric surgeries have high demand therefore, there are many experienced surgeons with high success rates.
Personalized support: If you have struggled with the language barrier, transportation, etc. the package deals come with guidance from the day you step out from the airport.
Prices: Satisfying quality of medical service and outcomes of surgery but with way more cost-effective and wallet-friendly prices than other countries.
Easy to travel: Turkey is a strategic area that does not require many requirements and most counties can visit visa-free. Also, the flights are not highly-priced.
Cultural attractions: Turkey is full of beautiful historical ruins and landmarks full of rich stories. Visiting Turkey for medical tourism is an automatic two-birds-with-one-stone situation because your eyes can’t miss its wonder.
Benefits and drawbacks of getting gastric bypass in Turkey
Gastric bypass in Turkey has medical advantages for its affordability, expertise in the field, and quality of care. However, it might be a struggle to travel in the first place and face language barriers. Here is how it is a win-win situation for you.
Benefits of getting gastric bypass in Turkey:
- Compared to other countries like the US, UK, etc., Turkey has the affordability perk. You can travel back and forth and still, you will save hundreds if not thousands of dollars undergoing bariatric surgery without health insurance.
- Healthcare quality in Turkey is highly developed with medical equipment for bariatric surgeries such as gastric bypass. The success rate is high because Turkey incorporates experienced bariatric surgeons.
- You can go back to your home country right after recovery time (1-4) days at most. However, follow-up visits do not require traveling back, you can directly contact them online.
Drawbacks of gastric bypass surgery in Turkey:
- Commitment to travel to a foreign country and putting a specific time for it. That can be stressful for some people and dealing with flight time responsibilities
- The language barrier causes a lack of communication and expressing yourself and having to have a third party with you through your journey.
- Contacting your doctor online for follow-up examinations and check-ups can be very limited. You will still need to visit local hospitals for blood tests.
Other than the dualities of language and traveling procedures, Turkey does not fail to serve you from a commuting standpoint. Furthermore, the main goal is to satisfy you with stress-free quality service with positive outcomes that comes with a great price deal. The surgery team will take care of you pre and post-op with professional guidance to achieve excess weight loss goals.
Are gastric bypass surgeries in Turkey considered safe?
Yes, it is safe. Gastric bypass in Turkey like any other surgery comes with potential risks but with an experienced surgeon, your overall health illegibility will defy if it is a safe option for you. You can either ask or search for your surgeon’s board certificate and check their backgrounds. The more experience the surgeon has, the better the outcomes will be.
Also, one of the safest techniques is considered to be laparoscopic. Gastric bypass in Turkey is laparoscopically done and it shows remarkably safe results for most obese patients that underwent that type of treatment. (1)
How much does gastric bypass surgery cost in Turkey: Explore Turkey's complete package deal!
Gastric bypass surgery cost in Turkey is between 4.5K–12K dollars. The package includes:
- Consultation
- Surgical procedure
- Meds
- Pre-and post-op care and tests
- Follow-up checks online
- Airport transfers
- Hospital Accommodation
These are the general package deals that may be included in the cost of gastric bypass in Turkey. However, the overall price differs regionally and the type of surgery. There is Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, mini gastric bypass, and biliopancreatic diversion gastric bypass. Each one differs in techniques and tools.
How do prices in Turkey compare to other countries?
The main things that control the prices in Turkey are the economy, currency exchange rates, governmental support, and lower labor costs. All those factors combined together to make an affordable price seem lower. Mainly average citizens’ income in countries with higher value currencies such as dollars, euros, and dinars would be above average if it was spent in Turkey because of its lower cost of living.
Here is a table of the average prices of gastric bypass in different countries in dollars.
| Country | Gastric bypass average cost |
| US | 23K-35K |
| Canada | 20K-25K |
| Australia | 18K-25K |
| UK | 15K-20K |
| Thailand | 10K-15K |
| Turkey | 7K-12K |
Remember, the prices are more economical even if the type of gastric bypass is different. However, due to all those factors, the quality is high and developed, but also, the cost of hiring medical staff, surgeons, etc. is way lower-priced than in most countries.
What are the accepted forms of payment for gastric bypass surgery in Turkey?
The main currency in Turkey is TL but if you don’t want to exchange your currency, you can pay with what you have easily. The most common foreign currencies used and acceptable are USD and Euro but others are also acceptable. Moreover, it could be both paid in cash or by credit card. There are other options for payments that most Turkish hospitals accept such as bank transfers, medical financing, or online payment.
It is a great idea to check in with the facility and chose a payment method available to save yourself time in the future.
Factors to consider when choosing a surgeon and a hospital in Turkey
To consider having bariatric surgery you need to know two main important things, a surgeon’s background, and the hospital’s reputation. Your healthcare consultant is also available to acknowledge you face-to-face or by contacting you whilst you’re in your homeland. Here is what you can consider to not worry about potential complications.
- Surgeon credentials and experience are important to feel safe about the outcomes of this type of surgery.
- Check the facility’s reputation and background through online ratings, customer service, online reviews, outcomes, and your healthcare provider’s word for it.
- Check the quality of the medical tools by asking if they are FDA-approved and if they have ISO certification depending on the models of the equipment.
- Compare costs between different facilities whether hospital or clinic, region, and type of facility play a role in payments, keep in mind, the lowest costs might not be the best fit for you.
You can seek the reviews you need online to find out each factor by yourself, or by a single call with your healthcare provider shall cover all the points you wish in a few minutes.
Top Turkish cities for gastric bypass surgery
Visitors hit two birds with one stone by visiting tourist cities to have both surgical treatment and vocational treatments such as Istanbul, Antalya, and Izmir. Ankara is also an excellent destination for the treatment nevertheless, it’s less-touristy than others.
The best option relies on the facility’s reputation, quality of medical tools, service, and surgeon’s background in the bariatric field. For further information, consulting with your healthcare provider shall help you choose what you desire in the end.
Traveling essentials: visa, companion, and your stay
The 3 essentials you need for traveling are a valid visa for at least 6 months from the day you travel, and a maximum of a week of stay from the day of surgery. Then comes your companion.
- Traveling to Turkey from most countries is simple and doesn’t require a visa application, check your country’s policy before traveling to save time and money. However, it is required, and you need a validity of 6 months at least to have an acceptable application.
- You need to stay in Turkey for a week starting from the day of surgery. Although the surgery takes roughly 4 to 5 hours, the recovery time is an essential part of post-op care to maintain recovery.
- Consider traveling with a friend or loved one as a personal host on a daily basis because you will need someone to look after you before and after the surgery.
These essentials will help you with legal passing from borders and avoid time delays and health-wise, you need the recovery time in the hospital. Other than all that, your further stay in Turkey is up to you and you can have fresh air and beautiful touristic areas.
How soon after gastric bypass can I fly?
Most patients stay in the hospital for 2-3 days for recovery. The point of it is to maintain balanced health, medication, etc. If there was a health condition that needs monitoring and nursery, then it won’t be more than 7 days. After being discharged from the hospital you have the free will to go back to your homeland. You can provide yourself with a fit-to-fly card from your doctor. This card is for the aircrew to know that you had surgery and, if necessary, to know what to do in a medical condition.
References:
Taskin M, Zengin K, Apaydin BB, Unal E. Laparoscopy in Turkish bariatric surgery: initial experience. Obes Surg. 2000;10(3):263-265. doi:10.1381/096089200321643575 Link
