The E111 card is no good in Turkey. Your insurance will cover you but in most cases you will need to pay out first. Our son had an accident whilst in Turkey - nothing serious but he needed to go to hospital. They wouldn't even put him in the ambulance until they had seen my credit card.! Our insurance did cover him and we got the money back within a couple of weeks.

Denny

cant use your e111 cards in turkey as they not in the e.u. As long as you ve got insurance you ll be ok . but i would take a credit card or some spare cash in case of emergencies. A few years ago my daughter fell and needed stiches. think it cost about £60. Didn't claim it back as our excess was £40. Doctor did come to our hotel to pick us up took us to the surgery and brought his home as well. Even called back a few days later to see how she was. Fantastic service. This was in Hisaronu.

omg thanks for your replies so i will need to take extra money just incase. i wonder what would happen if you didnt take any money at all with being all inclusive.
what a great and caring doctor that was we are going to marmaris

That is a risk you take with any holiday Raych but if you've got the money to hand, it will be more for peace of mind than anything else. Yes, the medical system in Turkey is far superior to anything we've got in this country. In this country you can be waiting six months to see a specialist, out there it is straight away.

Les

too true les thanx for that

raych141,

The key to this, as mentioned above is never travel without adequate travel (medical) insurance. The E111 was replaced by the EHIC card (European Health Insurance Card) a few years ago but as mentioned, it's not accepted in Turkey being a non-EU country anyway. A friend collapsed with severe dehydration and reaction to some tablets for it a few years ago in Icmeler. Her treatment at the hospital in Marmaris was first class and the hospital sorted everything with their insurance so they only had the excess to pay in resort.

Darren

thanks darren everybody has been so helpful this morning im definatly taking extra cash with me
everbody

I totally dispute the comment that medical services are better than anything we have in UK. That is a very sweeping statement and untrue. If you have medical insurance (don't even consider going without it) it will be OK but as others have said they will need proof that you can pay. You will then go to a private hospital (if you are in one of the main tourist areas) and hopefully there will be a translator there. State hospitals in Turkey are variable. All of my Turkish friends avoid going to them and those who can afford it have private insurance. I went to a state hospital with a friend with a dog bite as there was no private hospital for miles. She received adequate treatment, however this particular one was not clean. There were fresh blood stains on the curtain where she was treated and blood on the floor. The cover to the couch had not been changed. There was nowhere for her to wash hands or apply gel like we now have in UK hospitals. There was no privacy and she was treated in full view of other patients and their relatives. When she was taken to see the doctor she was shakey and scared but left standing while he sat and talked to her. I felt she didn't have his full attention as other people were coming and going in the room where she was. He kept stopping to attend to other matters. She did have what I assume was the correct treatment, anti rabies jabs and tetanus. She had to return to the hospital for another injection and they did telephone her to make sure she was going. The only reason you can see a consultant quickly in Turkey is because you are paying. The same will happen in UK if you have medical insurance. Oh and by the way in UK with NHS you will see one quickly if it is an emergency.

It is worth checking with your insurance company about how much it costs to waive the excess on your policy. I enquired last year and the extra cost was about nine pounds. My husband had to go to the local clinic in Icmeler as he had an ear infection, it cost £60 with the medicine, but we claimed the lot back.

You really will need a credit card Rach. My son only dislocated his knee and it cost £580 !!!
Like I said we got it back off the insurance OK but it took a week or two. His passport was taken off him at the hospital and we didn't get it back until the payment had gone through on the card.

Denny

I think it makes sense to check with your insurers about what would happen in the event of needing hospital treatment. I've heard of some not having to pay anything and then others having to pay and then claiming it back. The credit card thing is a very good idea as the last thing you neeed at a time like that is any extra worry. Let's hope you don't need it though.

My experience of Turkish hospitals and insurance companies was a very good one. In May 08 while staying in the Kocer Club apartments my husband took ill. The Thomas Cook rep had supplied us with a phone number for the Caria Hospital which had english speaking reps. He was admitted, had numerous tests etc treatment and was a patient for 3 days only being released on strict instructions to continue treatment when back in apartments. The Thomas Cook rep at the hospital took care of all paperwork, telephone calls, insurance data and we were presented with a bill for the excess upon discharge. Apart from the worry and strain of my husband's complaint which you would expect, everything was satisfactory and straightforward. Perhaps not all insurance companies react the same way when an insured holiday maker becomes a patient but Flexicover direct and Thomas Cook took all the strain for us.

The state hospitals where I live are pretty good.If you go to the emergency department then you don't pay anything.If you call an Ambulance then you will pay and it will take you to a private hospital unless you can speak Turkish and tell them otherwise.I had to spend a week in a Turkish State Hospital and I have no complaints about anything.Yes they do take your Passport off you and when you pay they give it back.My stay involved no surgery just Injections and cost my Insurance Company 980 TL. which equates roughly to less than 400 GBP's for 7 nights and treatment.No waiting,I was straight in and had the first injection an hour later.Turkish health care is pretty good and they have all the latest equipment as do there Dentists.Do make sure that you are Insured though.

Ian

Cruisecontroller wrote:

Yes, the medical system in Turkey is far superior to anything we've got in this country. In this country you can be waiting six months to see a specialist, out there it is straight away.

Les

I too have to disagree with this. You can see a specialist straight away here too if you go private. I would also never put down our NHS, I would far rather be seen in an NHS hospital than a state hospital in Turkey!

a big thankyou to you all for your replies

if i take my debit card would that be accepted??

Visa Debit would be fine, however although Cirrus is widely accepted I think you would be safer with Mastercard/Visa.

Take out the best medical insurance cover you can manage. My son had the 'bends' from diving and had superb treatment. We were staying in Icmeler and he was treated in a decompression chamber in Bodrum. His finished his treatment in a hospital in Marmaris. Again this was excellent. I would always take out the best medical insurance cover I could afford.

Regards

Janice

hi could i ask who you go with for insurance?
i have no idea

If you are booked via a TO then it is a condition that you have adequate insurance. Even if you are travelling in a country that is covered by the EHIC then it is foolish not to have insurance. Should you need repatriating for any reason then you have no worries. People often consider that the insurance is just for medical needs, you may need to get back home for many other reasons. family illness, or, has happened with us years ago a death. The insurance covered us.

As for which insurance company we have a topic with lots of useful advice here.

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=1329

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