OncoTrust offers Private Medical Care in Antalya Turkey at the Memorial Hospital and Partner Hospital Medstar. Memorial Hospital is a State-of-the-Art Modern Cancer Hospital and has a full range of facilities and services including Chemotherapy, CT, and PET-CT Scanning.
There are two main reasons, time and cost. Sadly, there is currently significant challenges in the NHS (in some but not all Hospitals) in meeting the target to see patients with suspected cancer symptoms quickly. For patient who are seen there also can be delays in getting important diagnostic tests done and even when these are done, more delays in seeing specialists such as oncologists to start lifesaving treatment such as chemotherapy. A delay in cancer diagnosis can be the difference between a cure or the cancer spreading making the chances of survival lower.
Patients with health insurance can access private care using their insurance, but for many patients who do not have health insurance self-funding investigations and treatments can be simply unaffordable. Even simple tests such as blood tests on ultrasound scans can be many hundreds of pounds and more sophisticated tests such as PET-CT scans can be several thousand pounds. Operations and chemotherapy treatments are even more, and these costs add up very quickly.
OncoTrust provides rapid access to affordable private healthcare in Turkey giving the choice and option for UK patients to choose a Private Medical Care Pathway to diagnose and treat cancer quickly.
Any patient with symptoms suspicious of a new diagnosis of cancer or serious disease or patients facing a delay in diagnosis or treatment here in the UK.
We ask all patients to have completed an online questionnaire as well as having been seen by a GP. If you cannot see your GP, we offer a Private GP Service at low cost. We use the National Health Service Guidelines for urgent referral for suspected cancer to assess whether your symptoms fit the criteria for urgent cancer referral.
These are a set of guidelines for each type of cancer (for example breast, prostate, lung) which list symptoms that are suspicious for cancer. For example, a lump in the breast, coughing up blood or unexplained weight loss are symptoms that would trigger a referral.
By screening patients with a detailed questionnaire around their symptoms your GP will be able to refer you according to the possible site of cancer you may have.
Example 1: a patient with unexplained weight loss and coughing up blood would be referred to exclude a lung cancer diagnosis. This would mean a package of test such as a consultation, blood tests, a chest X-ray, lung function tests and a CT scan.
Example 2: a patient with a breast lump would be referred for a mammogram, breast ultrasound and a breast biopsy and possibly an MRI scan.
This is not a problem and is quite likely as some initial tests may lead to other tests, for example a growth found in the bowel which needed a biopsy might then lead to a PET-CT scan to check for spread of cancer.
We make you are of ALL the potential costs, and you have a choice whether to take them or not whilst you are in Turkey.
No, we make sure we only do tests that are medically indicated and, in some cases, even with suspicious symptoms the tests can be normal. This is good news of course and provides you with the reassurance you need that you do not have cancer or a serious illness. Remember you will be having a holiday in Turkey if the tests are normal.
Absolutely. Memorial is a comprehensive cancer centre and as such has the latest equipment and facilities.
We do much more than that. As part of the 7-Day Diagnosis Pathway we review all of your tests in a Multidisciplinary Team Meeting and issue a detailed report outlining recommendations for treatment and any further tests needed on arrival back in the UK (if not done already). You will also receive paper and electronic copies of the MDT reports, imaging and blood tests results and reports and the tissue block and slides if you have had a biopsy.
We do this because many hospitals in the UK will want their own pathologists to confirm the diagnosis by looking at the slides themselves. In addition, if there are additional tests needed on the biopsy (known as immunohistochemistry) this can be done quickly by your local hospital.
Yes of course. The Memorial Hospital is a modern and welcoming Hospital (see the video section of this website) and accommodation and other costs are very low in Antalya. The patient coordinators can arrange comfortable and modern accommodation to allow you to stay until your treatment is complete.
Memorial Hospital has a fantastic Arts Centre, and we have specific links with modern spa hotels nearby where you can stay, relax, and enjoy the amazing climate and beach lifestyle before and after an operation or in between cycles of chemotherapy. Nutritional and psychological support, physiotherapy, and wellness treatments (acupuncture, acupressure, reflexology etc) are all available and a tailored programme can be made just for you.
The costs of healthcare and accommodation and living costs in Turkey are significantly less than the UK. Tests on average are at least 50% less than the UK and for some tests 70% less or more. Packages for initial assessment including accommodation and flights will be substantially cheaper than the UK (please visit our Prices section of the website for comparisons of UK/Turkey prices). The price will vary according to the standard of accommodation you request and the tests you have but will be a fraction of the cost in the UK. In addition, you will be in a beautiful coastal city and be able to bring your family to enjoy the beach, spa services and the historical old town with traditional culture and cuisine making a stressful experience a little less stressful.
Of course, we recommend contacting your GP immediately and forwarding the completed assessment. This allows them to make an urgent referral at the same time as you travel to Turkey for assessment. This will allow you to be in the NHS system, ready to see the UK Specialist with all your completed test results.