I am an international patient
I am an international patient who was recently admitted to Florence Nightingale Hospital in Istanbul for neurosurgery. Overall, my experience before and after surgery was positive. The medical team, nursing staff, and hospital personnel were professional, courteous, attentive, and compassionate throughout my treatment.
I would, however, like to offer a few suggestions that may help improve the experience for future international patients.
As an international patient, I was accompanied by my wife throughout my treatment. At times, it seemed that the hospital was not fully prepared for the practical needs of accompanying relatives. For example, access to the hospital Wi-Fi required a Turkish mobile phone number, which we did not have. As a result, we frequently had to ask nursing staff for assistance whenever internet access was needed.
Second, I believe there is room for improvement in the support provided by the international patient coordinator. While assistance was available, there were occasions when our specific circumstances as foreign patients were not fully considered. For example, on the day of admission, our hotel was approximately a 10-minute walk from the hospital. I contacted the coordinator to request transportation for my wife and me due to my medical condition and the luggage we were carrying. We were advised to walk because of the short distance, which was not a practical option under the circumstances.
Following my discharge and transport to hotel for recovery, my wife and the patient coordinator had to carry our luggage for approximately 100 meters over a cobble stone walkway. This situation could have been avoided with better coordination by our assistant as the entrance to our hotel had full access for vehicles to the lobby entrance. While this may seem like a minor issue, it was particularly challenging immediately after major surgery and could have been more difficult for patients or companions with limited mobility.
Additionally, when transportation was arranged for a post-surgical consultation, we were instructed to wait at a pickup point some distance away from our location. Unfortunately, it was raining heavily, and the vehicle arrived approximately 40 minutes later than scheduled, making the experience quite uncomfortable.
After that being said I would still highly recommend Florence Nightingale Hospital for its exceptional medical expertise, professionalism, and patient care.
