The making of a global medical tourism destination: From state-supported privatisation to state entrepreneurialism in healthcare in Turkey

Abstract

Examining medical tourism, especially in countries with publicly funded and organised healthcare systems, offers a gateway into an understanding of the changing role of the state in contemporary societies. Drawing on a comprehensive documentary review, this article examines the evolving role of the state in transforming Turkey into a global medical tourism destination. The article identifies two stages of state involvement in medical tourism: the period after the 2003 healthcare reform and the rise of an entrepreneurial healthcare state since 2013. The article suggests that the state, in the first period, performed a facilitator role by supporting privatisation in healthcare provision; in the second period, it assumed an entrepreneurial role, establishing large hospital complexes through a public-private partnership and created a public corporation to capitalise on the export of healthcare services. The Turkish case demonstrates that the role of the state in medical tourism is subject to change over time, depending on shifts in governmental strategies for healthcare and government-business relations. The article also offers evidence on the continued relevance of the multidimensional engagement of the state in healthcare that cuts across economic and social policy commitments. This engagement has recently extended into the domain of healthcare provision in the context of medical tourism.