Wellness centers and units to be established for healthy living services

Turkey has launched a new health service model aimed at enhancing individual well-being and promoting healthy lifestyles. The "Wellness Services Regulation," published in the Official Gazette, establishes "wellness centers" and "wellness units" to provide a range of services.

The core objective is to offer preventive, developmental, supportive, and rehabilitative services that enhance physical, mental, and social well-being, without a primary focus on medical treatment. These centers and units can be established within existing facilities like hotels, elderly care homes, disability centers, and sports clubs, or operate in standalone buildings.

Standalone wellness centers must have at least 500 square meters of indoor space, while units require a minimum of 300 square meters. Full-time physicians will be mandatory in wellness centers, with one serving as the responsible physician. Services may include speech and language therapy, physical activity programs, mud therapy, physiotherapy, traditional and complementary medicine practices, psychological support, marine therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, rehabilitation services, art therapies, sun therapy, thermal health therapies, and salt therapy.

In case of emergencies, centers will collaborate with hospitals or medical centers and must have an emergency response room. Laboratory and imaging services can be procured externally. This new model seeks to align Turkey with global trends in "healthy and quality aging" and aims to develop the country's health tourism sector.