Health Diplomacy: The Quiet Strength of Health Tourism

The New Paradigm of Health Tourism – Part 8

In recent weeks, we have considered health tourism through trust, value, branding, artificial intelligence and wellness. Yet we have not discussed the often invisible but critical element that enables all these areas to succeed: health diplomacy.

Health tourism grows through trust between countries, as well as through hospitals.

What is health diplomacy?

Diplomacy usually brings politics, embassies and international relations to mind. Today, however, health has become one of countries’ strongest diplomatic tools. When a country shares healthcare knowledge with another, provides training, develops joint projects, builds hospitals, educates health professionals or offers support during crises, it is also building trust.

Health tourism and health diplomacy have different roles. Health tourism brings people to a country for treatment. Health diplomacy encourages countries to choose one another as partners. The former involves patients; the latter involves long-term strategic partnerships. These partnerships underpin sustainable success.

Building trust. In health tourism, trust must be built with ministries, universities, hospitals, insurance systems, physicians, investors, local authorities and international organisations, as well as patients. Once established, it naturally supports patient flows. In our discussions across different countries, we found that lasting cooperation never emerged from the first meetings alone. Trust came first, followed by knowledge sharing and then joint projects. This is the essence of health diplomacy.

Health diplomacy in a new era. Countries will increasingly become partners that train professionals together, establish joint hospitals, develop digital health systems, create AI solutions and set up research centres, alongside sending and receiving patients. This is the new meaning of health diplomacy.

Health diplomacy extends beyond patient transfers. Many countries still view health tourism mainly in those terms. Genuine health diplomacy means establishing joint university programmes, training physicians, creating shared research centres, exchanging hospital management systems, developing digital health infrastructure, planning health investments together and showing solidarity in times of crisis. This is where diplomacy truly begins.

Who conducts health diplomacy? Many people think only of foreign ministries. Yet health ministries, universities, hospitals, civil society organisations, professional associations, academics, healthcare managers and the private sector are all actors.

Why does Türkiye have an advantage?

Türkiye’s strengths extend beyond its hospitals. Its location, workforce, healthcare infrastructure, tourism experience, cultural affinity, historical ties with many countries and humanitarian approach constitute significant diplomatic power. Long-term healthcare partnerships, particularly with the Turkic states, the Balkans, the Middle East, Africa and neighbouring regions, can contribute substantially to economic, academic and social relationships, alongside health tourism.

Health diplomacy is particularly strong where shared history, culture and mutual trust exist. From this perspective, the Turkic states, the Balkans, the Middle East and Africa are areas for long-term strategic partnership, as well as markets.

Türkiye should become a country that exports healthcare knowledge, management, education and technology, alongside healthcare services.

How should HealthTürkiye position itself?

HealthTürkiye should carry a vision of health diplomacy that shares knowledge, delivers training, establishes quality standards, develops joint projects and builds trust, alongside promoting Türkiye to international patients. Strong brands add value to their ecosystem as well as promoting themselves.

Perhaps countries’ true strength in the future will be measured by their contribution to humanity’s health, as well as the size of their economies. To the extent that Türkiye combines its healthcare infrastructure, skilled workforce and culture of international cooperation with health diplomacy, it can become an influential actor in global health policy as well as health tourism. Health diplomacy builds lasting trust and a shared future between countries.

In my view, health diplomacy is the invisible backbone that sustains health tourism.

Türkiye’s true leadership in global health may therefore depend on the trust it builds, the cooperation it develops and its vision of health diplomacy, alongside the healthcare it provides.

In our next article, we will consider why international cooperation in health tourism has become a strategic necessity.