Yaşar DEMİR, Ömer KÜÇÜKÖNER, Doğukan ÖZDEMİR
Abstract
Medical tourism involves individuals traveling abroad to receive medical care, significantly influencing healthcare delivery, tourism revenue, and patient preferences. Türkiye has emerged as a leading destination due to its strategic location, advanced healthcare infrastructure, high-quality private hospitals, skilled specialists, and affordable services. This review examines the opportunities and challenges Türkiye presents to international patients seeking cochlear implant procedures. While Türkiye offers substantial clinical expertise and positive outcomes for patients with severe and profound sensorineural hearing loss, focusing solely on economic benefits is insufficient. Cochlear implant treatment extends beyond surgery to include patient selection, thorough audiological evaluation, device selection, postoperative programming, ongoing follow-up, rehabilitation, ethical counseling, and patient safety. Sustainable growth in Türkiye’s cochlear implant medical tourism sector requires strengthening comprehensive care models, improving follow-up, expanding multilingual support, and institutionalizing quality assurance.
Keywords: Medical Tourism, Health Tourism, Cochlear Implant, Hearing Loss, Türkiye, International Patients
JEL Codes: I12, I19
How to Cite: Demir, Y., Küçüköner, Ö., & Özdemir, D. (2026). From Surgery to Rehabilitation: Cochlear Implant Tourism and Türkiye’s Potential for Medical Tourism. Health Tourism Journal, 2(1), 25-36.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21075839
