Patients from the United Kingdom: urological surgery in Istanbul
Direct flights from several UK airports and consultations in English. This page covers waiting lists, records and follow-up on the NHS.
About 4 hours on a direct flight from London
Direct flights to Istanbul run from London, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh among others, several times a day from the larger airports. That makes a changeable return ticket practical.
Consultations are held in English and no interpreter is needed. Correspondence before and after your visit is also in English.
Billing is normally in euros. Tell your bank about the trip so a card payment is not declined, and check the exchange rate your card applies to foreign currency transactions.
Visa
Visa rules vary with the type of passport and are updated from time to time. Because wrong information could leave you stranded at the airport, we do not state the rule here; check your own position with the official source.
Waiting lists: when waiting is safe and when it is not
Most UK patients come because of waiting times. The honest answer is that waiting is harmless for some conditions and harmful for others. A stone obstructing a kidney, deteriorating kidney function, or a cancer with unfavourable features will not wait comfortably; mild symptoms of prostate enlargement generally will. We tell you which applies to your findings, including when the right advice is to stay on the list.
Bring your records, including the imaging itself
Ask your GP or hospital for copies of your results and, importantly, for the scans themselves on a disc or as digital files rather than only the radiologist’s report. UK patients can usually obtain these on request. Having the actual images avoids repeating a scan and gives the surgeon what a written description cannot.
Going back to NHS care afterwards
Follow-up after you return is normally shared between us remotely and your GP or local urology department. For that to work, the paperwork has to be usable: you are given the operation report, the pathology report and a clear statement of what should be monitored and when. Give these to your GP on your return rather than keeping them to yourself, so your record is complete if something arises later.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa?
Rules depend on the type of passport and change from time to time, so we do not state them here. Check your position with the official Turkish source before booking.
What happens if there is a complication once I am home?
Contact us first; the reports describe exactly what was done, which is what a local clinician needs. For anything urgent, use NHS emergency services and send us the details afterwards.
Can I have a remote consultation before deciding?
Yes. Your imaging and reports can be reviewed before you commit to travelling, and the review sometimes concludes that the procedure is not required.
Let us review your file
If you have test results, imaging or a pathology report, share them in advance and avoid having investigations repeated unnecessarily.
Back to the international patients page: ME Urology Clinic