Turkey Medical Services

Medical Services in Turkey

Sometimes accidents do happen, or you might find yourself falling ill, and although it feels like the worst thing in the world whilst you’re on holiday, it’s always best to know exactly what your options are.

Largely the medical system in Turkey is private, and there are little to no GP services, although there are medical centres where minimal advice and help is available. Medical centres aren’t for emergencies and should only be used for small accidents and illnesses that could largely be treated with prescription level medication.

The state run hospitals and care centres are of a lesser standard to that of a British NHS facility, and although the private care is what one might expect, it is much more expensive, and can cause problems for those without travel and health insurance. The best advice generally is to ask your rep or hotel if the injury or illness is minor, and for emergencies call the British embassy that will contact the emergency services and explain the situation. Although this seems slower than calling the hospital or ambulance service directly, if you don’t speak Turkish the embassy will be the best port of call.

Important information:

- Health  in Turkish is saglik so it might be worth noting it down somewhere just in case you need to find one.

- If something does happen that leaves you needing medical care, contact your insurance company as soon as possible

- If you can speak Turkish, or are unable to contact the embassy, the number for the emergency services is 112

Medical Requirements

Although no injections are required to enter Turkey, it is always advisable to make sure that you and your family are up to date on all general jabs including measles before travelling abroad. Similarly there is a low, but slight risk of malaria in the south eastern region of Turkey near the Syrian border. Because of the increasing movement across the border, travellers in this area should consider a treatment for this possibility as the highest rate of transmission is between the months of May and October.

This minimal threat is localised to the border region, and is nothing to concern any coastal resorts such as Bodrum or Kalkan for example, especially those on our website. Generally Turkey is a country where you can travel worry free of contracting anything to cause concern and there is little reason to think that the majority of travellers would need injections at all. However, if you are concerned about injections and medical precautions, the best advice will always come from your GP.

Pharmacies

Turkish pharmacies are much closer to a GP service than a typical pharmacist, with a wide range of medication available including those that you would normally need a prescription for in the UK. They also offer advice, with minor ailments such as sickness, diarrhoea and small cuts or infections being the sorts of illness that you can rely on them to help with. Hopefully you’ll never need it, but if you do require pharmaceutical help, your rep or hotel will be able to direct you to the nearest one.

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