by Cenap Turgut
Health Care and Medical Insurance in Northern Cyprus
The first thing to know is that there is a very good national health service in Northern Cyprus. The hospitals are well equipped and there is hardly ever a queue to see a doctor. The second thing to bear in mind is that the doctors and nurses are first rate medical practitioners. Most if not all have completed their medical training in Turkey and doctors practice a minimum number of hours in state hospitals and provide private care in many on the islands health clinics. The ambulance service is very efficient too and there are specialized hospitals and clinics for a number of conditions such as heart problems or muscular and mental disorders. Furthermore the national health provides for care homes as one might expect as well as referrals to specialist carers both in the TRNC and in Turkey.
Both the national health care service and private health care in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus work in collaboration with similar institutions in Turkey and this professional cooperation and networking enhances the facilities available to patients who may be the most in need of such attention or whom are the most vulnerable.
Private health care does have its advantages but comes at a cost. While it is more expensive it is still remarkably affordable in comparison to BUPA in the UK for example, around half the cost or less and many of the hospitals and clinics offer various health plans and budgets that would suit the paying public. Furthermore they offer private rooms and round the clock care. Their attention to detail is much like a five star hotel service for the infirm with state of the art medical equipment. Even a routine Private healthcare visit usually starts with a full medical evaluation which includes a medical history investigation through to blood tests and blood pressure tests. Indeed much can be learned by the physician from the basics and they can make diagnosis more accurately founded upon proper medical evaluations.
It’s certainly true that for many reasons many expats and foreigners choose to have a variety of medical treatments in the TRNC. Some come for the low cost high quality and value cosmetic procedures such as Dental implants, hair transplants, face-lifts and body weight loss surgery. Amongst the most popular of these are the latest IVF treatments which have a 33.33% or higher success rate for patients, this is higher than the EU rates. In such areas of medical expertise Doctors and Professors who have trained for decades in their chosen specialist field are in high demand in the TRNC. The costs of such treatments and procedures is very favorable amongst foreigners and the medical facilities, training and care is second to none anywhere in the world.
Medical professionals continue to seek out newer techniques and the very latest in patient care methods as they attend seminars around the world to bring back new knowledge to their practices.
As mentioned before many state and private institutions have health plans available at affordable prices. So far as private health care is concerned it is possible to choose more specific patient requirements when selecting medical insurance cover. For example, where accident injury cover is regarded as a basic cover one may wish to include injury cover on riskier hobbies and pass times such as paragliding injury or water-skiing. Additionally if a patient is suffering from mild kidney problems they may seek to include dialysis precautions or organ transplant option within their medical insurance. Option too are repatriation costs if a foreigner wishes to be returned to their country of origin for further treatments. Full cost cover of medical transportation all equipment, hotel and flight costs can be included in comprehensive insurances.
As well as the private hospitals and clinics which provide medical insurance there are other insurance companies which offer similar insurance cover, the same insurance companies which cover for home insurance or car motor insurance for example. So it’s worth checking around to find the best one for your own circumstance.
One can find these resources through localized media pages on FaceBook, TikTok, Instagram and Google Searches. Alternatively you can search the KibKom pages which is like an online “Yellow Pages” for the TRNC. Insurance page.
