| Turkey | Austria | Spain | |
| Lumbar Laminectomy and Stabilization Surgery Single Level | from $4,300 | - | - |
| Cervical Laminectomy and Stabilization Surgery Single Level | from $8,500 | - | - |
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Necati Kaplan is a neurosurgeon specializing in brain, spine, and peripheral nerve surgery. He treats tumors, vascular disorders, hydrocephalus, trauma, degenerative spine disease, pediatric neurosurgical conditions, and Chiari malformation. He also works with experimental stem cell and exosome therapies.
He graduated from Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine in 2000. He completed training in Minimally Invasive Neurosurgical Techniques in Mainz/Tuttlingen in 2016. He also trained in Advanced Neuroendoscopy (2004), the Keyhole concept (2003), Microsurgery at GATA (2005), Pediatric Neurosurgery (2015), and minimally invasive lumbar surgery (2015).
He has served as a Board Member of the Association of Nervous System Surgery since 2018. He is a member of the Turkish Neurosurgical Association (since 2008) and the Association of Stem Cell and Cellular Therapies (since 2019). He co-authored series on vertebroplasty (111 patients/140 segments), 200 anterior cervical surgeries, 271 lumbar microdiscectomies, 673 mild head trauma cases, and stem cell therapies.
Dr. Nurperi Gazioglu is a neurosurgeon. She trained at Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine. She earned her MD in 1984 after study from 1978 to 1984. She completed neurosurgery training from 1986 to 1993. Her 1993 dissertation examined “Fetal Hypophysis Transplantation Under the Renal Capsule in Rats.”
She completed advanced courses in endoscopic pituitary surgery (2005, 2007, 2008) and endoscopic lumbar disc surgery (2007). She also trained in molecular genetics for clinicians (2003) and CME with the World Federation of Neurology (2002). She studied epilepsy surgery focused on insular–hippocampal anatomy (1999) and thoracolumbar trauma (1998). She attended the EANS European Neurosurgery Course (1988). Her clinical training includes observerships at APHP Necker–Enfants Malades and Hôpital Lariboisière in 1991. She completed an internship there in 1999.
Dr. Mucuoglu specializes in advanced spinal surgery, having trained under Dr. Mehmet Zileli at Dokuz Eylül University.
Dr. Halil Can is a Professor of Neurosurgery (2025; Associate Professor 2020). He completed neurosurgical training at Istanbul University–Istanbul Faculty of Medicine in 2007. His clinical focus includes endoscopic and microsurgical spine surgery for fractures, tumors, and degenerative disease; advanced pain procedures; endoscopic skull base and pituitary surgery; and neurovascular, neuro-oncologic, and peripheral nerve surgery.
He has 21 international peer-reviewed papers (SCI/SSCI). Topics include cadaveric morphometry of Kambin’s triangle and the transforaminal triangular working zone, lumbar arterial and anterior approach anatomy, and an in vitro test of a new lumbar fixation device.
His clinical studies include a single-team series of 81 posterior circulation aneurysms, with 13 flow-diversion cases. He also reported five spinal cavernous malformation cases. He conducted Phase I safety and feasibility stem-cell trials in pediatric hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and in chronic complete spinal cord injury.
Healthcare is the key development sector of the Turkish government. The Turkish authorities are convinced that care for the citizens' health should be an absolute priority of state policy and spend about 77 billion liras for healthcare annually.
As a result, 28,000 medical facilities provide excellent medical care in the country. About 50 centers have certificate of JCI (Joint Commission International), the international improver of healthcare quality and safety across the globe. The index of certificates obtained is the largest. To compare, Israel has 20 JCI-accredited facilities, and Germany — only 10 clinics of this type.
| Currency | lira (you also can pay for services in dollars and euros) |
| Best period for the trip | May-October |
| Language | Turkish (most of medical staff speaks English fluently) |
| Visa | is not required for a trip of at least 30 days per visit |
| Time difference with Europe | 3 hours |
| Time difference with the USA | 8 hours |
| Capital | Ankara |
| Medical tourism center | Istanbul |
| Popular resorts | Alanya, Antalya, Kemer, Marmaris |
In Turkey, hotels of different price ranges and service levels are presented. The level of Turkish hotels is comparable to hotels in Tunisia, Morocco or Egypt. Most tourists choose 4 and 5 star hotels with all-inclusive meals. Such hotels have everything for a comfortable stay: varied food, a large well-groomed territory, animation for children and adults. Some hotels have their own water park, which guests can use for free. Budget travelers can afford to book an economical 3-star hotel with half board or no meals at all.
The main advantage of Turkish resorts is the long beach season. On the Mediterranean coast, it starts in April and lasts until November. In the resorts of the Aegean Sea — from May to October. The most comfortable time for swimming is from mid-June to the end of October. A large influx of tourists is in July-August, when the air temperature is +38°C, and the water warms up to +27°C.
In 2020, the Republic of Turkey has visa-free agreements with 89 states. Some foreigners are exempted from obtaining entry visas, others are required to receive an electronic visa (e-Visa), and still others must apply for a visa at Turkish missions abroad.
What states need a visa for treatment in Turkey and what countries can cross the border free and easy read here.
Visas for travel to Turkey require a number of documents. The necessary papers can be submitted 90 days before the planned departure. Lists of documents includes: