Post by yenilira on Nov 6, 2011 1:44:44 GMT 1
Intestinal flu, traffic accidents, sunstrokes.... the wheels of the already busy International Department at Baºkent teaching hospital continue turning at full speed in the summer, as Alanya plays host to a multitude of visitors.
Baºkent teaching hospital has to cope with lots of additional patients, in particular Europeans, in the summer, when Alanya has been invaded by thousands of tourists. The majority of complaints involve stomach upsets or heat exhaustion. However, there's also a steady stream of accident victims, for example from traffic incidents or simple bad luck., such as falling in your hotel swimming pool.
However, as a tourist in a foreign hospital, you're not only faced with the usual worry about what might be wrong with you, there are also the potential language difficulties and uncertainty about local medical practices.
In order to provide foreigners with suitable treatment and service, Baºkent Hospital has an International Department where the staff speak a range of languages, amongst them English, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and German. They liaise between patient and doctor, as well as contact the insurer in the country of origin.
At the moment Alanya has residents of more than twenty different nationalities, and, apart from that, tourists from all over the world who chose to come and spend their holidays there.
One of the staff is ªükrü who, besides Turkish, also speaks Dutch and English. He's been working at the International Department for the last ten years and is well known to the many foreigners who've needed medical treatment in Alanya. ªükrü is not only an interpreter and clerk, he is also a pillar of support who is never too tired or short of time to reassure patients and their families, give a word of encouragement, explain things and provide assistance. “I'm here for the patients”, he says. “They're already stressed enough and, if it's their first time in a Turkish hospital, probably a little scared too. It's my job to reassure and help them and their families too. I leave my personal problems and stress at the door when I get work. Those needing treatment, plus their families, are often already quite worried. I try to help them to stay positive about things.”
For example, a pale, sweating woman and her husband arrive at the hospital. She's Dutch, so is dealt with by ªükrü. He speaks her language, to the patient's obvious relief. She explains that she has stomach pain, sickness and diarrhoea. After making a note of her passport and insurance details, ªükrü takes her to the doctor. The department has its own GPs for initial assessments. Depending on the outcome the patient will either be treated or referred. Since the woman has been suffering from the complaint for four days already, and there is a risk of dehydration, she is connected to a drip and given medicine for the infection. She also has to stay over night. ªükrü arranges for her to be admitted.
He explains that upset stomachs are the order of the day during the summer. “Tourists are particularly at risk. Foreign patients with a second home and who reside here (semi-)permanently usually come in for other reasons. They often require similar medicine or treatment to what they would get in their own country, for example blood anti-coagulants, cholesterol tablets or dialysis. We get a fax from their GP and make an appointment with our doctor here.”
The Baºkent teaching hospital in Alanya opened on 17 July, eleven years ago. It is one of ten medical centres in Turkey under the control of the Baºkent teaching hospital in Ankara. Besides Alanya, there are Baºkent hospitals in places like Istanbul, Konya and Adana. “The Baºkent hospital vision is to provide humane help to anyone who needs it”, says Gürol Birgen, the Manager of the International Department . “We're busier here in Alanya than in other cities, due to the many different nationalities. It’s a small Europe. In order to provide a good service to our foreign patients, we knew that we'd need staff who spoke English at the very least. Over the years, the International Department has grown to the point where we now have staff who speak all of the predominant languages in Alanya.”
Unfortunately, this Hospital in the only one of its group situated on the Turkish holiday coasts, although there is one in Izmir, a few miles inland and north-east of Kusadasi.
In the first few years the majority of patients were German. Now the nationalities include Dutch and Scandinavians, and the strength of of the Baºkent hospital lies in the speed with which patients are treated, regardless of what's wrong with them. There are no week-long waiting lists, and results are available within a couple of days. Patients get the same level of care whether they're Turkish or not. If you arrive with a foot problem you will be referred almost immediately to an orthopaedic specialist. If you have a kidney problem you'll be referred to a renal specialist, and for suspected heart problems a cardiologist. Since the hospital is in contact with all the main doctors, who are also based here on site, ite can refer the patient on as soon as the nature of their complaint has been established. No one is ever sent away and told to come back in a week. There are plenty of doctors in Turkey. If there's a sharp rise in the number of patients for whatever reason it simply take on additional staff and doctors.
This is in contrast to the rest of Europe, where waiting lists are getting longer.
On average, the Baºkent hospital in Alanya treats around 1350 out-patients every day, including Turks and foreigners. The annual average is around 10,000 foreign out-patients, and based on recent months, it is expected that the figure would go up 30% this year.”
Whilst the International Department is already busy, it probably will get busier in the years ahead. Alanya is becoming increasingly popular, not just with tourists, but also with people who own a (second) home in the city.
“Our hospital is ready for it”, says Gürol Birgen, optimistically.
“In terms of capacity, quality and level of service. The Baºkent motto is well-founded: ‘güler yüzlü hizmet – service with a smile’.”
Baºkent Üniversitesi Alanya Hastanesi -
www.baskent-aln.edu.tr/en.html
Some of you will be familiar with the logo of the BUAH - it adorns the Alanyaspor football strip.
Next summer there may be even more accident cases at the Baºkent with the infusion of all those 'MyPets' that are now the fashionable of transport around town.
YL.
Baºkent teaching hospital has to cope with lots of additional patients, in particular Europeans, in the summer, when Alanya has been invaded by thousands of tourists. The majority of complaints involve stomach upsets or heat exhaustion. However, there's also a steady stream of accident victims, for example from traffic incidents or simple bad luck., such as falling in your hotel swimming pool.
However, as a tourist in a foreign hospital, you're not only faced with the usual worry about what might be wrong with you, there are also the potential language difficulties and uncertainty about local medical practices.
In order to provide foreigners with suitable treatment and service, Baºkent Hospital has an International Department where the staff speak a range of languages, amongst them English, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and German. They liaise between patient and doctor, as well as contact the insurer in the country of origin.
At the moment Alanya has residents of more than twenty different nationalities, and, apart from that, tourists from all over the world who chose to come and spend their holidays there.
One of the staff is ªükrü who, besides Turkish, also speaks Dutch and English. He's been working at the International Department for the last ten years and is well known to the many foreigners who've needed medical treatment in Alanya. ªükrü is not only an interpreter and clerk, he is also a pillar of support who is never too tired or short of time to reassure patients and their families, give a word of encouragement, explain things and provide assistance. “I'm here for the patients”, he says. “They're already stressed enough and, if it's their first time in a Turkish hospital, probably a little scared too. It's my job to reassure and help them and their families too. I leave my personal problems and stress at the door when I get work. Those needing treatment, plus their families, are often already quite worried. I try to help them to stay positive about things.”
For example, a pale, sweating woman and her husband arrive at the hospital. She's Dutch, so is dealt with by ªükrü. He speaks her language, to the patient's obvious relief. She explains that she has stomach pain, sickness and diarrhoea. After making a note of her passport and insurance details, ªükrü takes her to the doctor. The department has its own GPs for initial assessments. Depending on the outcome the patient will either be treated or referred. Since the woman has been suffering from the complaint for four days already, and there is a risk of dehydration, she is connected to a drip and given medicine for the infection. She also has to stay over night. ªükrü arranges for her to be admitted.
He explains that upset stomachs are the order of the day during the summer. “Tourists are particularly at risk. Foreign patients with a second home and who reside here (semi-)permanently usually come in for other reasons. They often require similar medicine or treatment to what they would get in their own country, for example blood anti-coagulants, cholesterol tablets or dialysis. We get a fax from their GP and make an appointment with our doctor here.”
The Baºkent teaching hospital in Alanya opened on 17 July, eleven years ago. It is one of ten medical centres in Turkey under the control of the Baºkent teaching hospital in Ankara. Besides Alanya, there are Baºkent hospitals in places like Istanbul, Konya and Adana. “The Baºkent hospital vision is to provide humane help to anyone who needs it”, says Gürol Birgen, the Manager of the International Department . “We're busier here in Alanya than in other cities, due to the many different nationalities. It’s a small Europe. In order to provide a good service to our foreign patients, we knew that we'd need staff who spoke English at the very least. Over the years, the International Department has grown to the point where we now have staff who speak all of the predominant languages in Alanya.”
Unfortunately, this Hospital in the only one of its group situated on the Turkish holiday coasts, although there is one in Izmir, a few miles inland and north-east of Kusadasi.
In the first few years the majority of patients were German. Now the nationalities include Dutch and Scandinavians, and the strength of of the Baºkent hospital lies in the speed with which patients are treated, regardless of what's wrong with them. There are no week-long waiting lists, and results are available within a couple of days. Patients get the same level of care whether they're Turkish or not. If you arrive with a foot problem you will be referred almost immediately to an orthopaedic specialist. If you have a kidney problem you'll be referred to a renal specialist, and for suspected heart problems a cardiologist. Since the hospital is in contact with all the main doctors, who are also based here on site, ite can refer the patient on as soon as the nature of their complaint has been established. No one is ever sent away and told to come back in a week. There are plenty of doctors in Turkey. If there's a sharp rise in the number of patients for whatever reason it simply take on additional staff and doctors.
This is in contrast to the rest of Europe, where waiting lists are getting longer.
On average, the Baºkent hospital in Alanya treats around 1350 out-patients every day, including Turks and foreigners. The annual average is around 10,000 foreign out-patients, and based on recent months, it is expected that the figure would go up 30% this year.”
Whilst the International Department is already busy, it probably will get busier in the years ahead. Alanya is becoming increasingly popular, not just with tourists, but also with people who own a (second) home in the city.
“Our hospital is ready for it”, says Gürol Birgen, optimistically.
“In terms of capacity, quality and level of service. The Baºkent motto is well-founded: ‘güler yüzlü hizmet – service with a smile’.”
Baºkent Üniversitesi Alanya Hastanesi -
www.baskent-aln.edu.tr/en.html
Some of you will be familiar with the logo of the BUAH - it adorns the Alanyaspor football strip.
Next summer there may be even more accident cases at the Baºkent with the infusion of all those 'MyPets' that are now the fashionable of transport around town.
YL.