Amendment to the Regulation on Promotion and Information in Health Services published in the Official Gazette

With the regulation published in the Official Gazette, the Ministry of Health has redefined the standards for promotion and information in the field of health services, in line with the goal of protecting patient safety, patient rights, and public health at the highest level. The regulation, which covers private health institutions, health professionals, and international health tourism and international health tourism intermediary organizations, aims to establish a transparent, secure, and auditable environment for promotion and information in the sector. To strengthen Turkey's global position in health tourism, the regulation introduces special provisions for international promotions. Provided that they are conducted through a separate platform aimed at foreign countries, sponsored promotion and information activities may be carried out in official languages other than Turkish.

The regulation will ensure that those coming to our country within the scope of health tourism have access to the most appropriate health services with accurate and reliable information. Medical procedures and treatment methods that are not authorized for practice in Turkey cannot be included in international health tourism promotion and information activities. While increasing Turkey's competitive power in the international market, patient safety will also be protected.

Health facilities and physicians in Turkey will only be able to share content on social media and digital platforms for "informational" purposes. They will not be able to include paid or sponsored content on their pages. Misleading images and retouched photos cannot be used in promotions. It will be mandatory for images showing the before and after of a procedure to be displayed under the same technical conditions and in the same environment, and for the dates to be specified on the photos.

According to the regulation, patient images can only be used with written or electronic consent in accordance with the Regulation on Patient Rights. Promotions cannot be made through patient comments, expressions of satisfaction, or thank-you messages. Ethical boundaries will be maintained in the promotion of health services, and patient consent will be essential.