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Legislation and News Regarding the Transfer of Travel Agencies to USHAŞ
As is known, pursuant to Article 2 of Annex 2 of the Decree Law No. 663 on Certain Regulations in the Field of Health, USHAŞ has been tasked with issuing authorization certificates to institutions that act as intermediaries in the field of international health services.
Within the framework of the aforementioned legal regulation, the tasks and procedures related to the authorization of intermediary organizations that will operate in the field of international health services, which were carried out by the General Directorate of Health Services of the Ministry of Health, have been transferred to USHAŞ, effective from May 13, 2024.
According to the Regulation on International Health Tourism and Tourist Health published in the Official Gazette dated 13/07/2017 and numbered 30123, the authorization certificates of intermediaries holding "International Health Tourism Authorization Certificates" remain valid, and their follow-up will be carried out by USHAŞ (Turkish Health Services Inc.).
You can access the USHAŞ website via the relevant link.New Regulations on Advertising and Promotion Support in Health Tourism
Significant changes have been made to the advertising and promotional support provided by the Ministry of Trade for organizations operating in the field of health tourism in Türkiye. These changes, which came into effect with the circular published on April 15, 2024, include innovations particularly in areas such as promotional film production and social media advertising management.
Old Circular
Eski düzenlemeye göre, tanıtım filmi yapımı herhangi bir ön onay sürecine tabi değildi. Ayrıca, sosyal medya reklam yönetimi için ajansların kestiği faturalar üzerinden %60 oranında ve maksimum 10.000 TL’ye kadar destek sağlanıyordu. Bunun yanı sıra, yurtdışında gerçekleştirilen bireysel etkinliklerde "coffee-break" hizmeti de desteklenen kalemler arasında yer alıyordu.
New Circular
Before making the promotional video, we contacted the Ministry of Trade. obtaining prior approval It has been made mandatory. Grant applications can be submitted after approval is received. This means the process has become more bureaucratic than before.
Social media advertising management support %60 oranında ve maksimum 10.000 TL It was fixed as is.
Individual events abroad "coffee-break" All support items for the service have been completely eliminated.
New Regulations for Encouraging Personnel Employment in Health Tourism
Comparative Analysis: Significant changes were made to personnel employment incentives within the scope of health tourism with the circular dated 15.04.2024. A detailed analysis of the differences between the old circular and the new regulation is below:
| Criterion | Old Circular | New Circular (15.04.2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Employee Status | Eligible existing staff (including part-time) were eligible for employment incentives. | Not only current employees, full-time new hires They can benefit from the incentive. Part-time employees are excluded. |
| Language Certificate | Minimum B2 level from the TÖMER Health Tourism Language Proficiency Exam or minimum D level from the YDS exam. | TÖMER language certificate is not accepted. YDS certificate is required. at least C1 level or an equivalent is required. Existing recipients of support must obtain the new document by October 15, 2024. |
| Ministry Approval | For existing personnel, approval from the ministry could be obtained later. | Before the onboarding process Ministry approval is required.A strict control mechanism has been introduced. |
| Turkish Language Proficiency | For foreign staff and translators, a TÖMER language proficiency certificate was mandatory. | For foreign personnel who will work as translators, a TÖMER certificate is required instead. at least C1 language level a condition has been imposed. |
| Gross Salary Calculation | Gross salary was calculated taking into account taxes and social security deductions. | In addition to gross earnings, social security declarations and deductions are now more detailed. detailed and strict It is considered as such. |
Organizations that have received International Health Tourism Authorization Certificates
The list showing healthcare facilities and intermediary organizations that have received international health tourism authorization certificates has been updated by the decision of the Board of Directors of International Health Services Inc. (USHAŞ) dated 21.08.2024 and numbered 2024/9 - 9/1.