Here is the 10-step road map that demonstrates how the whole process works:

Step 1 – Contact us & schedule your appointment

• You can schedule your appointment by filling out the "Contact Form" or contacting us by phone at +905421516015 
• If you are coming for the first time, following the confirmation of your appointment please print and fill out the "Health Information Form" and keep it with you when you come.
• If you wish to get information about Izmir and Turkey, please watch the "Izmir Presentation Film" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nea-CHGhDWI) prepared for EXPO 2020.

Step 2 – Visa procedures

• It is possible to travel to Turkey without a visa from more than 90 countries. However, you must have a valid passport that is at least 60 days longer than the duration of your stay. If you do not come from one of the countries where Turkey has a visa exemption, you need to get a visa.
• Your stay in Turkey cannot exceed 90 days in every 180 days.
• When you enter the country, customs officers may ask to see your hotel reservation document and round-trip tickets.
• There is no requirement for "travel health insurance" to enter Turkey. However, it will always be beneficial for someone who will be in a foreign country to have such insurance.
• For more information on visa and passport related issues, please visit https://en.goc.gov.tr/visa-.

Step 3 – Your flight and hotel reservations

• There are direct or connecting flights to Izmir with Turkish Airlines (https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-int/index.html), SunExpress (https://www.sunexpress.com/en/) and Pegasus (https://www.flypgs.com/en) from numerous parts of the world, especially European cities. You can also come to Turkey via other airline companies or by land or sea.
• You will be hosted at the Hilton Garden Inn hotel (https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/izmgigi-hilton-garden-izmir-bayrakli/), located close to our clinic with a wonderful gulf view. After purchasing your flight ticket, we can make a hotel reservation on your behalf.

Step 4 – Arrival at the airport and transfer to the hotel

• You will be greeted at "Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport" on arrival and transported to the hotel by private vehicle. Our international patient coordinator will be there to welcome you at the airport and guide you through the transfer and hotel registration process.
• After checking into the hotel, we recommend that you spend the rest of the day resting. But if you wish (if you are not tired and time is suitable), you can also take a city tour.

Step 5 – Meeting with the doctor and planning your treatment process

• The doctor's office is located at “Anadolu Caddesi, No 40, D: 701, Tepekule Congress and Business Center, Bayraklı/İzmir” and is approximately 150m away from the hotel that you will be staying in. The day after you check in to the hotel, you will go to the doctor's office accompanied by our coordinator. The coordinator will guide you during the introduction and meeting with the doctor. 
• The doctor will listen to your complaints, inquire about your symptoms, review the "Health Information Form" and previous test results that you have brought with you and will also examine you. At the end of this, a treatment plan can be swiftly created. However, when deemed necessary additional tests and consultations can be requested and convene “tumor council” to create the most suitable plan for you.
• After establishing your treatment plan, pre-operative preparations will begin. Although the planned procedure varies depending on your age and medical history, these preparations may include procedures or examinations such as various blood tests, chest x-ray, ECG (electrocardiography), bowel prep and anesthesia consultation. Your pre-operative preparations can be done as an outpatient or sometimes after being hospitalized for surgery.

Step 6 – Hospitalization & payments

• Your surgery will take place at the JCI-accredited “Acibadem Izmir Kent Hospital” (https://www.acibadem.com.tr/en/hospital/izmir-kent-hospital). This is a private hospital with 20 years’ experience equipped with advanced medical technology and international health standards. Complex cardiac surgery, organ transplantation and oncological treatments are some of the numerous specialized treatments offered at the hospital. Kent Oncology Center, which has a training and cooperation agreement with "Houston Methodist Hospital", one of the leading cancer centers in USA, provides oncological surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology and nuclear medicine services. Prof Yusuf Yıldırım,MD has been working as a contracted (guest) doctor with Kent Hospital since 2013 and performs his surgeries there.
• You will be hospitalized on the day of surgery or the day before, depending on the type of surgery, your general medical condition and whether pre-operative preparations have been made in advance. During the admission process, our coordinator will be there with you and guide you in every step of the way.
• After your registration and admission process is completed in the "admission-discharge section" of the hospital, you will be asked to deposit the "surgery package fee" to a provided bank account number (IBAN). The full deposited amount will be invoiced. The package fee includes only treatment (doctor + hospital) fees, excluding flight and hotel accommodation fees. If you want to get information about our surgery package fees, please fill out the “Find Out Price” form and send it to us.

Step 7 – Surgery and hospital care

• Surgery method, surgery duration, and anesthesia type vary depending on the surgical procedure. Your hospital stay may range from 1-10 days depending on the surgical procedure and your healing process (2-4 days for most procedures).
• Prof Yusuf Yıldırım,MD will continue his daily visits to you during your stay at the hospital. During the visits, he will evaluate your general condition, listen to your complaints and problems, answer your questions if you have any, check the drains and catheters, examine your abdomen, lungs, legs, etc., will observe whether your healing progresses is normal, check your wound and make dressings, request various tests (blood, urine, imaging) when necessary, will make decisions regarding eating-drinking-ambulation-medications etc. and will have follow-up visits regarding possible early complications and problems. You will also be closely monitored by the hospital's staff doctor, nurse and allied medical team as well as our coordinator and a private nurse. 
• When discharged, you will be given an "epicrisis/discharge report", which is a summary of your medical condition and management process. 
• You can get more information about the surgical procedure and hospital care related to your disease or condition by logging in to the "Surgical Procedures” menu.

Step 8 – Return to the hotel and your management at the hotel

• You will return to your hotel from the hospital by private vehicle, accompanied by the coordinator. We will need to host and keep you under close observation for another 2-15 days (depending on the surgery you had) to see your recovery process progressing normally. You will spend this period in a hotel.
• During your hotel rest period, our coordinator will monitor  you closely and inform the doctor about developments regarding your condition. You will also be able to call the coordinator at any given time.

Step 9 – Follow-up examination

• Depending on the situation, you will have a follow-up meeting with the doctor 2-7 days after being discharged. At the meeting, your doctor will do comprehensive examinations to ensure your general condition and recovery process are normal. He will also inform you if a second check-up is needed before you return.
• During the follow-up examination, pathology results will also be evaluated and determine whether you need chemotherapy, radiotherapy or any other additional (adjuvant) treatment. For this reason, when deemed necessary, the opinions of doctors from different fields of expertise or the opinion of the tumor council can be requested.
• If additional treatment is needed and you would like to continue the treatment/treatments in Izmir, relevant planning and guidance will be made.
• Finally, your post-treatment follow-up program will be designed and presented to you as a "chart".

Step 10 – Time to go home!

• When it's time to go home you will be transported by a private vehicle to the airport. Our coordinator will accompany and guide you to the "check-in" and baggage drop-off point.
• We bid you farewell, hoping that you are returning home with hope, health and beautiful memories.