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Our Health Minister, Prof. Dr. Recep AKDAĞ is at the 1st International Health Tourism Congress: I thank you to the chairman of Association of Improving Health Tourism and his team accomplished a great work both for health and tourism. I say welcome to our visitors and guests from abroad. I believe that these congresses held will be very beneficial for our future. In terms of health and transportation there has been no limitation anymore and patients have had freedom to choose their own doctors not only from their own but also from overseas countries. Treatment of a patient who has his/her analysis and examination in a country is started without new analysis and examination when the patient visits another country. Medicine has achieved a constantly advancing and universal status. Assessments about how the patients in all countries have their treatments abroad easily will come out by the discussions of you, esteemed scientists and the people related with this sector and the agreement on a common point. This is realised by means of the congresses such as the 1st International Health Tourism Congress that we have already held. In this country we have practiced a serious transformation program for last 5 years. In the framework of the transformation program we have both paved the way for the health access of our public and provided healthcare not only just from the public but also from private sector. We have focused on a new plan for the last few months. We will perform this planning together with our private sector. It will be profitable for both our people and the private sector. The private sector has achieved great developments in health. Turkey is a country of opportunities for the foreign investors by its health infrastructure and advanced technology used. When we look at these issues from health point of view another significant factor is lodging industry. Lodging of the patients from abroad is equally important. Mostly European patients travel to our country. A few years before now was just opposite the current situation. Health requirements of Europe are bigger due to its elderly population. Besides the interviews from the point of providing direct healthcare should be carried out. Our work as the government should be paving the way for these connections of the sector. In addition to traditional healthcare the healthcare of the elderly and the patients with physical and mental disorders also carry importance. Turkey has mostly young population. It is an indication that we wouldn’t have difficulty to find the required employees to bring up. We haven’t already had a founded educational instution with regards to this issue. However, in our country this requirement is met by in-service trainings. Also as the government we have decided that we would be occupied in doing educating healthcare staff directly at the college level. I also would like to tell to our foreign guests that half of the population of Turkey is below the age of 28. We see how Turkey has a young manpower important for its future compared to growing elderly population in Japan and West European countries today. Of course, there are other countries with mostly young population. But, Turkey that has been developing and integrated to European values with its young population has provided opportunities not only to itself but also to neighboring and other Western countries.
I consider that the background of the society is essential for the healthcare of elderly and patients. We are a hospitable society and have a deep-rooted culture for caring for people. It paves the way for the tourism regarding health, elderly and handicapped in our country too. My esteemed friends, 10 years ago I entered to a shop to purchase a gift to my friend when I came to a congress related with my profession in Antalya. The welcome of the employees there and their concerns during the shopping convinced me how Antalya is valuable for tourism. I now see that how Antalya has gone further from that time to now. It also makes us quite happy. We have tolerance, “Love created because of cretaor” in our culture. Thus we have a deep-rooted customs to serve the people coming all around the world. We have become a society both rooting the customs and using the advanced technology cleverly. I would like to tell an event experienced 2 years before. During a meeting with a health minister I asked how much a MR analysis costs in his country and were responded an average figure of Euro 250. The same analysis costs Euro 50 in our country. It means that we have both used high technology and costed it cheaper. In Turkey there are both hospitality and caring culture in addition to a good health system and affordable price lists. When all these come together we see that we have a lot of thing to do. When we look at the thermal facilities point of view our country also looks a country of opportunities. I would like to draw the attention of all the investors to this issue. We have many resources. However, we haven’t used them in sufficient capacity. I believe that these resources will be increased in value in future years. Also I would like to tell to our foreign guests that our 112 emergency call center is a well-disciplined and well-ordered organization. We are able to Access to your calls within 10 minutes. In 2008 we will put air ambulance system into use. It will be also an important step in health. The world population is rapidly growing old. Currently the population over the age of 65 in the developed countries is close to 20%. The experts concerned say that the percentage of the elderly population will go up to 50% in the year 2050. I tell to our entire guests that as a country with a really young population and preserving it we have opened the whole doors to you in health. It is possible to benefit mutually. The esteemed guests, we have to share all of our resources in health with the entire friendly countries at this first international congress in its field. I hope that our works done and the exchange of views in 2-3 days here will achieve great success and lead the way to us, the politicians on this issue. My esteemed friends, I again greet you all with my kind regards.
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