Ekol International Hospitals reports that its urology team has completed more than 150 procedures with the Da Vinci surgical robot since the system went live in 2023. Most of those operations were radical prostatectomies for prostate cancer. The private medical campus on Turkey’s Aegean coast says demand is accelerating because record waiting lists in the National Health Service keep many UK patients in limbo.
Worldwide interest in robotic urology is soaring. Market analysts calculate a value of 6.72 billion US dollars for 2024 and forecast a rise to 28.6 billion US dollars by 2033 as hospitals seek to cut blood loss, shorten stays and protect continence and sexual function. The United Kingdom follows the trend. Robot assisted operations climbed from eleven thousand in 2016 to forty nine thousand in 2022, but operating theatre capacity has not kept pace. NHS statistics show prostate cancer patients in some regions waiting up to six months from decision to treat to surgery, far beyond the sixty two day target.
Ekol presents itself as an alternative. English language tele-consultations are available, and most visiting patients receive a surgery date within weeks. Packages cover the robot fee, surgical implants, hotel accommodation and airport transfers. A fellowship trained urologist at the hospital notes that the three dimensional optics and wristed instruments of the Da Vinci console allow tumour removal while preserving the nerves that control continence and sexual function.
Photo: Izımır, Turkey – Ekol International Hospitals via FL Communications
The institution holds ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications and has begun the process for Joint Commission International accreditation. Turkish regulations require a special licence for facilities that treat overseas patients, and Ekol states that each visitor receives an outcome sheet listing margin status, estimated blood loss and any complication grade before travelling home. Total cost, according to the hospital, is usually less than half of the self pay price for a comparable private procedure in Britain.
Turkey’s lower import duties on medical devices and a legal framework that obliges providers to support multilingual care have turned the country into an attractive test bed for advanced surgical technology. Ekol’s early move into robotic urology suggests that medium sized, technology friendly hospitals can absorb overflow from oversubscribed public systems and give patients a chance to trade waiting time for flight time.
Healthcare disclaimer:
This article is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider.
