Medical Tourism in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus: Strategies for Improvement

Authors : Oritsetimeyin ARUEYİNGHO, Matina GHASEMI, Tülin BODAMYALI

Pages : 1-18

Doi:10.31822/jomat.2022-7-1-1

View : 21 | Download : 15

Publication Date : 2022-07-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :“Right to health” is a fundamental human right and it is protected by international laws, also it turns over to states in three areas. Quality health care, affordability and the availability of necessary facilities and equipment’s form part of the reasons why individuals in need of these services migrate to countries that fortunately have upgraded facilities ready to serve the needs of patients worldwide. The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of health practitioners, tourist agents (travel agents) and hotel managers, to determine if they are aware of the present condition of medical tourism in North Cyprus, and to discover the most sought-after procedure in the country. Thereafter the status of the most sought-after procedure was analyzed and strategies for improving this sub-sector alongside medical tourism were proposed. The study aims to provide insight for stakeholders, administrators and public officials in designing their strategies for improving this sub-sector of tourism, and to highlight the contribution of medical tourism to the development of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus. The study is based on surveys given to participants selected by a snowball sampling and convenience sampling technique. Collected data were analyzed using basic coding methods of qualitative analysis. Results from the first part of the study revealed that the most sought-after medical procedures in TRNC were invitro fertilization treatments, and in the latter part of the study, the push-pull motivators and status quo of this sector were determined.
Keywords : Medical tourism, Northern Cyprus, Quality Health care, Medical Tourism in Northern Cyprus, TRNC Tourism, Fertility Tourism, Medical Tourism for In Vitro Fertilization