Officials from Turkey’s Ministry of Health, the NHS in Britain and the Turkish-British Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TBCCI) were among speakers at a Health Summit in Central London.
The event was attended by a large number of dignitaries including Abdurrahman Bilgiç, the Turkish ambassador to Britain; Dr Selim Mutgan from an organisation responsible for developing health tourism in Turkey; Professor Ömer Tontuş from the Turkish Ministry of Health; Emma Edhem, in her capacity as director to the TBCCI; and Liam Cahil and Carol Roberts from the British National Health Service.
The two-day conference was billed as an “Expert Information Exchange and Networking event” intended to create and develop business opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors. The TBCCI said it hoped that it would serve as a platform to bring together national and international health travel stakeholders in Turkey and UK.
The Turkish teams attending the event had the opportunity to hold individual meetings with NHS officials and discuss such matters as insurance, health tourism investments, collaboration with agencies and treatment services.
Ömer Tontuş, a director for Healthcare Development, said they attached especial importance to health tourism as part of the “Revolution in Health” programme. He said Turkey’s healthcare reforms had made an impact around the world and that they intended to concentrate on promoting their services in the immediate future.
Mr Tontuş said health tourism represented a significant investment opportunity for Turkey and that they were hoping to promote opportunities in his home country throughout Europe.
Also speaking at the event was Ayşen Toksöz, the general coordinator for Health Tourism and Accommodation; Phillipa Fieldhouse from BUPA Cromwell Hospital; Çiğdem Koğar, who represents the Turkish Central Bank in the UK; Aylin Yaman from Güven Hospital in Ankara; and Burak Borahan from the Walgreens Boots Alliance.