Maisie

Hi everyone - I have just registered on this wonderful site, and would like to ask some questions concerning medical care in Turkey. Can someone tell me where to post this, or shall I just carry on where I am in Medical Problems?

Maisie

Andywebb

Welcome to the forum, you do not say extactly what you want to know about. So I suggest you go to the top of the forum and open "Search" type in medical problems and it will give you a list just read through and decide where you want to post, you may find the answer here also.

Andy

mushtaq

Welcome to the forum, don't worry if you post in the wrong section one of the moderators will move your post in the correct place.

Do a search as Andy has suggested as someone might already have asked the question before, but don't be shy just ask away we will try to help.

Maisie

Hi there - thanks for replies. Well, here goes. My husband and I have recently returned from a holiday in Turkey. Whilst there we purchased a villa in the Altinkum area. Initially for holidays, but eventually to retire to permanently. My husband is an insulin dependent diabetic, taking two different insulins each day.

We visited a local Altinkum Pharmacy, and whilst it is possible to purchase the insulin, it is not in the same format as he takes here in the UK. Also, it is quite expensive, and this would be with no regular checkups. In the UK as a diabetic, all medical necessities for the treatment of diabetes are free.

We were told by various people that we could join a private medical scheme, but nobody has any experience of a diabetic on any of these schemes. My question is basically, how do these schemes work? Would we pay a premium, get the checkups and have the insulin prescribed, or would we still have to buy this "over the counter"? Also, the checkups are very important, and would be too expensive to come back to the UK for twice a year.

I am aware that there are hospitals and clinics nearby in the case of emergencies (as in the UK), but I am more interested in how we obtain his diabetes supplies on a day to day basis. In the UK he gets a three month supply at a time. In the long term this would not be possible if we were not permanent residents of the UK.

Sorry to be so long-winded, but this is obviously very important to us and must be resolved before we move to Turkey for good.

Hope someone out there can help and/or advise. Thanks in advance.

Maisie

Terry&Sue

Hi Maisie
I must be honest and say that it may be unwise to consider a permanent move to Turkey with a longstanding medical condition required daily treatment.
I am sure that you could get sorted in Turkey for short periods but having to consider a medical cover scheme for regular treatment that is provided fairly efficiently within the UK NHS arrangements would cause me to think twice about a permanent move and rather enjoy long holiday breaks.At least you can rely on your husband being looked after in the UK without having to worry about language problems,equivalent drugs or costs.
I have always erred on the cautious side and no doubt others resident in Turkey will tear me off a strip but this was my first thought after reading your post.

immac

Therer is no good reason not to move here because of Diabetes. No medical insurance scheme will cover you for an existing condition, but that does not stop you registering with a local hospital and getting the support you need there.
Medicines are usually cheaper here, and most essential medicines have prices controlled by government. I wonder if you were asking for something outside the norm, and therefore not controlled.
You need to factor into your calculations for moving the cost of medicines.
Perhaps a visit to a specialised clinic to interview the consultant on your next trip would help you decide.

Ian

Maisie

Hello Terry and Ian - well there seems to be a difference of opinion here! The insulin my husband takes is not anything unusual. He takes one during the day and one overnight. The day one is supplied in the UK in cartridges which fit into an injector pen (rather like a fountain pen cartridge) and the overnight one is in a bottle and is drawn up with a disposable hypodermic. When in Altinkum, the Pharmacist looked up these two types on his computer. Neither is available in Turkey in this form. However, they are both in available in disposable pens, each of which lasts for a while. We worked out that the overnight one (which comes in a pack of five pens) would last for approximately six weeks. The cost is about £52.00. The daily one also comes in a pack of five pens, but is considerably cheaper, about a quarter the cost of the overnight one.

My husband also has a blood monitor machine for which supplies cannot be obtained in Turkey. However, there are other machines he could buy (both in Turkey and the UK)for which supplies are readily available in Turkey, so this would not be a problem.

My major concern is that although we could buy these items by simply paying over the money, the overall condition would not be monitored, which basically would amount to self prescribing.

The suggestion of registering and/or consulting with a specialist for this monitoring is a good one, but how do we find a specialist? I know that there are native Turkish diabetics, as I have seen somewhere the figures nationally per capita of Turkish people, about 16%.

Maybe we could arrange for regular care and monitoring through a specialist in Turkey, but I am not sure how we would go on with our doctor in the UK. We spoke with a British couple who moved out permanently in May this year. They broke off connections with their doctor in the UK, but are now saying that they are going to re-register as this had proved to be a mistake. However, neither was diabetic so I could not understand their decision. I have the distinct feeling that our UK doctor would adopt the attitude that if we decide to live abroad, then they will not want to know for the future, despite having paid vast amounts in N.I. contributions over the last fifty odd years.

My husband has been diabetic for over 36 years so to a large extent we are "old hands" at treating it. It is a strange condition (which was caused by a bad car accident by the way - shock to the system etc.) and so far has caused no attendant problems. In the UK this is regarded as "long-term", but after all these years is just a way of life for us. He has the "MOT" regularly and the medics say "well, well, everything is fine, see you again in six months".

I am sure there is an answer to this problem - it is just finding it. Most Turkish people we spoke with didn't know anything about the condition and were, therefore, unable to help.

If anyone can help with information about specialist monitoring and where we can find in in Turkey, we would be very grateful.

Thanks, Maisie

rosewall1

My husband is a diabetic- ok type 2 which is not the same but we have a wonderful specialist in Bodrum and a pharmacist who is very helpful. My husband had a check up in England and we were back in Turkey when they said he needed further tests. That is when we found this specialist and he had the most thorough check up and was told that the amount of a certain drug he was taking was over the recommended dose. (Recommended by UK Doctor).
I would suggest that you speak to your UK doctor and ask about the substitute drugs that your pharmacist in Turkey has suggested.
Turkey is much more modern than you think.

A friend of ours is a type one diabetic and he has live here for the past year quite successfully.

So you have to pay for your own medicine, surely that should not stop you living out here, just think of the other advantages of living here.

Maisie

Hooray - thank you Rosewall1! I was beginning to think my husband was unique.

The drugs we were shown were not recommended as such as they are not an alternative, just packaged differently.

Your comment about "over-drugging" is very interesting as I heard this while we were in Turkey from other people who had their medication reduced in Turkey and in one case is much better for it.

Bodrum is not too far from where we will be in Altinkum, and you have certainly given me a bit of relief.

How does your insulin dependent friend manage with the supplies and check-ups? How easy is it to "register", or does he just make an appointment from time to time? I am quite sure we could live with buying the products, it is the care we are concerned about. So long as my husband can be seen by a specialist from time to time, and have the various tests, we are quite happy to do this.

If this is asking too much of you, is there any way I can get in touch with your friend to discuss this?

Again, many many thanks for your reply.

Regards, Maisie