Job Discussion Forums

[ella]

hello out there, i just arrived in istanbul and am looking for a respiratory/asthma specialist. i have had asthma since very young and it is controlled but i need to develop a relationship with a doctor here should a problem arise. do any of you have any suggestions for specialists in istanbul (english speaking/ french)? any advice would be greatly appreciated! even any information on who to ask/where to ask would be great. i need to find a doctor as soon as possible. thank you...

[dmb]

Try either the American or German hospital- might be pricey though

[FGT]

My advice is first to arrange health insurance, then to make use of the excellent private doctors. Then you have peace of mind both medically and financially.

I was diagnosed with glaucoma two years ago (thanks to a private optician choosing to conduct tests that probably would have been overlooked in the UK) and have since been going for regular check-ups with a specialist. I only pay a small percentage of the costs of both check-ups and prescriptions thanks to a health insurance policy that simply renews and asks no questions about long term treatment/diagnosis. The specialist is fluent in at least three languages, has state of the art equipment, has worked abroad and, in my opinion, is at least as good as I could get at home. I checked the diagnosis, treatment etc with my GP in UK and everything is as it should be. Medical care in Turkey is good, the problem can be paying for it.

If you're looking for a specific recommendation I can't help at the moment. I have friends/students in the field of medicine and will ask around and let you know.

PS If you get private insurance, they will help you find a specialist.

[gelin]

Please make sure that your health plan does cover asthma. The Koc Allianz one I had through my employer did not cover it, nor anything to do with allergies. American Hospital is a good choice, but the doctor I went to said I had acid reflux when I knew good and well that it was allergies. I was right.