Guz1

A family member was taken ill during our holidays and we took her to Devlet Hospital. The staff there were brilliant.....recognised very quickly that it wasn't a simple case of holiday tummy. They transferred her to the nearby Ozel Private Hospital where the rooms are better than any Turkish hotel I've stayed in.

The Ozell hospital checked out her travel insurance before treating her. The excess on her policy was 100 euro which had to be paid before she left the hospital. The insurance company checked her travel dates before giving the ok, so make sure your insurance covers the duration of your visit. They also phoned her GP in Ireland to confirm that it wasn't an existing illness.

The reason for this thread is to remind people how important it is to take out travel insurance even if you have your own place in Turkey.

Also: Take a note of the phone no. of an English speaking doctor. We didn't and only for our wonderful Turkish neighbours would have been completely helpless.

SAMIMI

Hi Maria, I very sorry to hear your family member was ill and hope she is well again. Hope you all managed to have somewhat of a nice time in Turkey this time. I know how much you looked forward to it after our miserable summer this year.
I have a question regarding insurance. We have taken out an annual multi-trip policy with the Blue Insurance group. They have an office in Dublin and also in the UK. This covers our trips for one year. We are covered up to 45 days any one trip. We are going to Turkey for a total of 40 days so we are covered. I printed off a letter from the internet with the travel policy number, and our names and date on it. Is this adequate in the event of hospitalization or do I need to print off the WHOLE OF THE INSURANCE POLICY? On the letter it gives a 24hour phone number for medical emergencies. Does the hospital ask for the full insurance policy or are they happy to telephone the Insurance company themselves?

Guz1

Hi Samimi,

Thanks for your kind words. Luckily, we were there for 3 weeks so she was able to enjoy the last week and had recovered well enough for the flight home. The hospital gave her all the necessary medication when they discharged her, so there were no pharmacy bills.

They didn't look for the entire policy - just the summary details, and they did telephone the insurance company to get the go ahead before proceeding with the tests. She had the Brassington family policy, but would also have been covered by VHI World Assist. The hospital were familiar with VHI but Brassington were new to them. I think it is important to make early contact with the insurance company. I know someone who had to have a minor procedure carried out in the US and paid the bill but ran into difficulties when she claimed the money back from the insurance co. because she hadn't informed them within a day of the onset of the illness.

There was an Irish girl at the hospital who had no insurance cover and put on a crying performance to get them to agree to treat her for a reduced amount. She bragged about it afterwards but I thought she should have been ashamed of herself. That's the kind of carry-on that gets us all a bad name. If you can't afford to live in a foreign country you should stay at home.

SAMIMI

Thank you Maria, I have printed a validation certificate which gives all the details of cover and insurance company contact details. So now, I can forget all about it and look forward to a relaxing holiday in just a few more days................

sparrow

Thanks for this thread Maria, and glad you are back too off course

Interesting, so if you have sth, you first go to the devlet hospital and they will forward you to the özel hospital ? Is that correct ?

Guz1

Samimi: Hope you have a great holiday. Be prepared for some serious heat....the temperature reached about 40 degrees some days, so pile on the factor 50 and soak up the rays.


Nadine,

Ideally, you would consult a local doctor first but I got the impression that you could go direct to the Ozell hospital which is not far from Devlet. Unfortunately, we didn't have contact details for an English speaking doctor. One of our Turkish neighbours phoned a doctor......I'm not sure but I think he phoned the hospital in Davutlar......who told him that we should go to the hospital in Kusadasi. The neighbour lives in Ankara so, like us, he only knew about the Devlet hospital so we went to their Emergency Dept.

The Devlet doctors put her on an intraveinous drip and said she would have to be hospitalised but that for insurance reasons she should be treated in the private hospital. They contacted the Ozel hospital who sent a car for her. When we arrived at the Devlet hospital we were charged a fee of about 10 or 15 ytl at the registration desk and subsequently a similar amount for the iv drip.

Although the facilities in Devlet hospital looked fairly basic, the staff were very efficient. The Ozell facilities are quite luxurious and the doctors did their job well, but I think that I would have more confidence in the Devlet staff.

Karyn UK

The Ozel Hastane are very, very good - I really wouldn't want in patient treatment at the Devlet Hastane for all the A&E is pretty hot!

The staff at Ozel Hastane who liase with your insurance company are very kind, speak very good english and try to take as much of the stress away from you as possible. Basically they just want to see your insurance cover note and they will take care of the rest and you just pay the excess - this is for in-patient treatment. For outpatient treatment (x-rays, patching up cuts and breaks) expect to pay during treatment and claim back from your insurance company when you get home, and it will be pricey.

The Ozel Hastane is very, very expensive and you wouldn't want to face their bills without insurance. I am surprised the irish girl you saw Maria got a reduction, she was damn lucky, I paid 200 euros there for a set of x-rays and anti-biotics for a knee injury but they knew I was insured up to the eyeballs!

Aside - are you back in Ireland Maria? I am heading out on Thursday for an indefinite stay and it would be nice to see you.

Karyn

Guz1

Hi Karyn,

Great to see you posting again. Hope all is well with you, or as well as can be given your tragic loss.

Thanks for that tip about paying as you go for outpatient treatment. In that case it would be essential to contact the insurance company on the first day lest there are any getout clauses in the insurance policy for failure to notify them in time.

I agree with everything you have said about the hospitals. Devlet seemed like a typical public hospital........underfunded! To put it mildly, I wouldn't expect any aircon in the wards. The staff, however, were excellent. My relative (an ex-nurse) was treated promptly and she was very impressed by the their efficiency.

The Ozel staff were, indeed, very kind and efficient. They liaised with the insurance company and the Irish GP, minimising the stress on us. She had a couple of ultrasound scans and they kept her informed every step of the way. The hospital itself was very comfortable. There was even a sofa in her room so her husband could get a rest during the night. The only criticism we had was that she was very sickly and nobody came near her during the night, leaving her husband to hold the kidney bowl for the inevitable. That said, things might have been different and they might have had someone in attendance if her husband not been there to hold the bowl!

I'm back in Ireland and unlikely to travel to Turkey again until next year. Have already had two holidays in Turkey this year and with flights being so expensive I had to cancel plans for my usual Autumn break. Pity because I would love to meet up with you. Maybe next year?

swanseajack

My 6year old grandson was treated at ozel on 09 august he slipped by swimminng pool

cut the back of his head and needed 4 stitches. staff great but wanted insrance before treatmeant Turkish friend said treat first you'll get your money. Had to pay
ytl 431.14 which I now have to claim back was doing so when saw this thread.Going back to start filling in forms now more fun!!!!!!!!!!!


chris.