As Hanyaloğlu & Acar Law Firm, with over twenty years of experience and more than nine thousand cases in medical malpractice litigation, we felt the need to comment on the recent reports in foreign media against Turkey's medical tourism.
Foremost we must emphasize that it is deeply unfortunate for any patient, regardless of nationality, location to suffer during medical treatment and the causes of such cases should be thoroughly investigated. If a medical error has occurred, all necessary measures should be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future. However, unscientific publications may mislead many patients who require surgical intervention and hinder their access to healthcare services.
Some broadcasting companies (DW Documentary and some UK-based media) have raised criticisms over Turkey’s medical tourism and medical practices.
The data presented by the production companies behind these media reports to justify their claims not only lack any effort to be scientific but are also contradictory within themselves.
Every surgical operation carries risks. The broadcasting media claim that the malpractice rates of surgical operations in Turkey are high. As a law firm with over 20 years of experience in medical malpractice cases, we assert, based on our data, that the rate of medical malpractice in Turkey is not higher than in the countries mentioned.
It is also important to consider that if a group of patients who are seeking solutions and have a medical indication for treatment are unable to receive care in their own country due to financial reasons, it could lead to greater harm to the public health systems of those countries.
HANYALOGLU&ACAR LAW FIRM
PS: We emphasize that medical organizations and doctors who take part in such misleading and unscientific reports should be cautious to avoid creating the impression that they have sponsored this media for their own interests, as this could damage their integrity.