Does our support end once you are all set to leave? No way! We want to make sure your whole experience runs as worry-free as pos-sible, and that means following up on you be-fore, during and after your treatment!

About RHAZES GLOBAL

Founded in 2012, RHAZES GLOBAL is the International Medical Tourism and Consult-ing Company that connects patients with the best hospitals, clinics and doctors. While patients benefit from world-class treatment and seamless experience, hos-pitals and clinics are empowered to focus on their core competency of delivering quality healthcare. From finding the right clinic to providing on-site language and logistical support – we guide international patients through the entire process of re-ceiving medical treatment abroad. Our ser-vice team staffed entirely with doctors and medical travel experts to ensure the high-quality standards that our customers de-serve. As we are an international company, we are driving healthcare tourism service by the six offices in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Lithuania, Romania, and Iran. Currently, the platform offers services to patients globally and cooperates with top renowned and accredited clinics in 12 coun-tries. It offers patients 24/7 support service via phone and email and its online platform allows them to explore and book a variety of medical treatments as oncology, cardiol-ogy, hematology, pediatric, including den-tal implants, hair transplant surgery and or-thopedic treatments.

What are our values?

Our core values, listed below, are based on a mission to provide you with the safest and highest-quality options to choose from.

• We put patients first. Your health and hap-piness are our top priorities and every deci-sion we make is based on this principle.
• Full transparency. It is key to the way we communicate. We always offer clear price quotes, without any hidden costs.
• Best quality. Best prices. You can be sure that you will get the highest quality of health-care at the most affordable prices.
• No wait. Waiting times for quality treat-ments can vary greatly from country to coun-try. We guarantee timely access to health-care.
• We work for you! … and no one else! We are here to support you throughout every step of your journey.

How do we select our partner hospitals and doctors?

We will only show you hospitals which we have carefully hand-picked based on our strict quality standards so that you don’t have to browse through a massive amount of information in order to find the best hospital for your desired treatment. You can be sure that you’ll get the best quality at the most af-fordable price and if you don’t see a hospital you prefer among our offers, tell us your op-tion and it will be our pleasure to help with!

Meet the team

None of this would be possible without the skills and motivation of the people that make up the RHAZES GLOBAL team. Who is be-hind RHAZES GLOBAL and what inspires us to do better day by day? We interviewed our Patient Managers and have collected below some of their thoughts about working at RHAZES GLOBAL.

This is heavy and very responsible work, be-cause you have to work with human health,says our Operations Director Gulnar Asgaro-va, “My father is also a doctor, so from child-hood I have been surrounded by medicine. I always see him working hard and helping patients to save their lives. It inspired me, and I decided to be a part of Rhazes Global. My work involves constant communication with people. I often see people who are seriously ill at the beginning of their treatment after which they become healthy and full of joy. This is an amazing experience, this is more than work!!!

“Keeping up the RHAZES GLOBAL spirit.“What motivates me is that I really love help-ing people and that’s what matters at the end of the day and when the company is giving the chance to do your favorite stuff you are lucky”, says Inna, Patient Manager. It’s not just about finding a treatment. As our Patient Manager Sophio says: “In relationship with the patient, you are no longer just a pa-tient manager at the company he or she con-tacts, you become a person who cares about him in a way close friend or relative would do, which is great responsibility and great joy at the same time. At the end of this long and arduous process, you receive gratitude and appreciation from the patient, though what matters the most is to see him or her happy.

”Transparent and humble communication. RHAZES GLOBAL’s CEO and Founder Elchin Baghirov believes that RHAZES GLOBAL’s humble and transparent approach to our pa-tients is what makes us stand out from the crowd. “Many platforms lack a real focus on patients; everything we do at RHAZES GLOBAL is patient-centered and we do care about how a person feels and how we can be of best support throughout the whole expe-rience. We work for the patients, not for the clinics, and this is what makes all the differ-ence.”Our overall aim is to help patients find the right, affordable care all over the world. As CEO and Founder Elchin Baghirov states, “Our patients are the ones we care for and who we want to match with the best avail-able doctors.”

“We are Team who are passionate about solving global patient problems”

EuroEvents is a Business Information Provider, producing events, developing brands and most importantly – creating value for the respective industry. The aim of EuroEvents is to provide exclusive boutique events, great networking potential, and learning platforms. The events portfolio encompasses congresses and summits, certification and workshop seminars, professional training, exhibitions, and trade shows, conferences, and forums.

One of the industries EuroEvents has devoted a lot of time and effort in is the Medical Tourism Industry.

The Medical Tourism Conference started back in 2015, when it was held in Budapest, Hungary. The 2 nd edition took place in Prague, Czech Republic, the 3 rd in Warsaw, Poland and the 4 th in Berlin, Germany, 5 th in Zagreb, Croatia. This year, we will have the BALTIC EXECUTIVE MEDICAL TOURISM SUMMIT on 23rd and 24th of October 2019 in Latvia. 

Following five remarkable editions of the Medical Tourism Conference, we take a deep dive into the specifics of the Baltic region. For the inaugural edition of the Summit, the program is patient-centric – The focus is on the traditional ways and the use of new technologies to improve the patient’s journey while finding ways to cut costs.

It is our pleasure to offer you insights from the industry leaders and contacts from medical tourism facilitators that will help you win these trends. The Summit program will offer perspectives from all industry players and a B2B workshop to help you win new clients.

Prepare to grasp the intense networking and learning opportunities this October in Latvia!

The first day reserved for conference activities, filled with renowned speakers presenting on intriguing and popular topics in the sphere. The second day will be fully committed to the Workshop, at which EuroEvents facilitates pre-arranged meetings among health care buyers and providers. Baltic Executive Medical Tourism Summit will provide an interactive platform during which practitioners and leading experts in the area will share, discuss and construct trategies for future growth and innovation for the purpose of creating and sustaining successful facilities.

For the previous 5 editions, Medical Tourism Conference has had approximately 580 attendees, 30 partners and sponsors and more than 70 speakers throughout the years.

MTC helped clinics and hospitals get connections with facilitators and insurance companies, discuss insurance trends and challenges, and every single time EuroEvents empowered the delegates to leave the venue richer with knowledge, experience, and connections.

During all these years, EuroEvents built many partnerships in many different regions. One of the partnerships with successful cooperation with RHAZES GLOBAL. RHAZES GLOBAL is an important ally for EuroEvents in the region, helping in building connections and contributing towards the development of medical tourism. EuroEvents certainly hopes on future collaboration, as the improvement of the numbers and the satisfaction of inbound and outbound patients in the region becomes possible when working together.

EuroEvents built a legacy that brings the event among the top global conferences in the sector of medical tourism.

Make sure to book your spot at this year’s conference to hear successful stories straight from the market and to learn how to deal with challenges in the medical tourism industry.

Please briefly describe your company and its aim, as well as your role there.

I am the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Global Health Union (GHU), as well as the Director of Rhazes Global – International Medical Tourism and Consulting Company.
The GHU – Global Health Union is the global nonprofit association in the Caucasus region for medical tourism and travel. GHU is the worldwide exchange relationship in the Caucasus district for medical tourism industry. The association works with governments, hospitals, insurers and medical tourism providers in Azerbaijan and Georgia.
GHU aims to function at local, national and international level, to spread the message of healthy living in our community through its strategic alliances and help advance every facet of the medical industry, as wellas to bring the stake holders together to share best practices and case studies for the development of this sector.

RHAZES GLOBAL is International Medical Tourism and Consulting Company that connects patients with the best hospitals, clinics, and doctors. While patients benefit from world-class treatment and a seamless experience, hospitals and clinics are empowered to focus on their core competence of delivering quality healthcare. From finding the right clinic to providing on- site language and logistical support – we guide international patients through the entire process of receiving medical treatment abroad.
My role at both organizations is focused on strategy – to focus on the projects that we need as an organization. As the global leader in medical tourism we always have large opportunities and strategic partnerships and we have to really pick and choose which is best for our company and long term growth of the industry. Additionally, much of my time is spent working with the large buyers of medical tourism, employers, insurance companies, and governments helping them streamline their programs and increase efficiency.

Where do you see your next big move with your organizations?

For the rest of 2019 and 2020, we plan to leverage our relationships with all the partners we have built over the last 5 years to help implement and adopt medical tourism into their plans and programs. The biggest issue facing this industry is that the hospitals and other players are not bringing scalable and turnkey solutions to medical tourism buyers and this slows down the growth of the industry. So, we will start developing and taking solutions to the market that makes it easier for buyers to access the medical tourism marketplace.

How do you foresee the future of medical travel, medical tourism and international patients 5 years from now? 10 years from now?

If people don’t start adapting, evolving, and changing and keep trying to do it how they always have done, they will be left in the past. I think five years from now there will be more technology and integration making it easier for people to access data, information, and to travel for care. Additionally, in the coming years, a large portion of buyers around the world will have offered some form of medical tourism. I think ten years
from now most insurance companies will offer medical tourism, and it may become so standard we won’t call it medical tourism anymore.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received that you would pass along to others just entering the industry?

Medical Tourism and the people in it are great. But, this is not an easy industry. It is a long path to success and it takes time and money, and when one gets into it, you need to add in more time and money than you think you will need to achieve your goal. I would recommend talking to companies that have been in this field a long time to give you advice because some of the most important things you need to know are what not to do and what doesn’t work. A lot of people think that the medical tourism industry is quite easy and you can create a website and launch a business and the patients start coming, or you open your hospital doors and medical tourists start walking in.
It’s a little more complex than that. This is a global industry and you need to develop a great business plan and strategy before diving in. You also need to do a lot of research and get the facts. There are so many inaccurate facts, advice, and research in medical tourism that you can often find information that is completely made up. I have seen a lot of pitch decks or research reports on medical tourism that have no basis in fact; and people actually rely on it. Also, one has to be careful of consultants, as there are some in this industry who actually give improper guidance and advice because they don’t have accurate information. Work with consultants who can really give you great references. There are some great experts in this sphere that have worked for some of the big brand hospitals. Also, people or companies who enter the market need to know that it’s fine to make mistakes, so long one learns from them. And for any new players to this field, I wish you the best of luck.

    WE ARE DELIGHTED TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU. OBVIOUSLY, 2016 IS A BIG YEAR FOR IDEA, WHICH IS MARKING FIVE YEARS OF ITS OPERATION. WE WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON THIS ANNIVERSARY AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR IMPORTANT EFFORTS IN PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT. HAVE THESE BEEN DIFFICULT FIVE YEARS FOR A FAIRLY YOUNG ORGANIZATION SUCH AS IDEA?

I am happy that our endeavors are supported and appreciated by the public as well as the media. Have these been tough five years? Yes, absolutely. But again, no one anticipated this to be an easy job – that was the challenge. From the very outset, we realized that protecting nature and achieving sustainability was a complex, multifaceted and interlinked process. We cannot focus our efforts solely on removing the symptoms of a disease, without treating the disease itself. For instance, merely cleaning polluted areas will only be a temporary solution if we don’t raise awareness and promote responsible consumption among the public. Therefore, our approach is to simultaneously address multiple core areas to achieve the most effective problem solution. This is a demanding and timeconsuming mission, which requires extensive human and material resources, and I am satisfied with the results achieved in a relatively short time.

   “I am deeply grateful for the support of thousands of concerned individuals, especially young people, who were with us from the beginning.”

    WOULD IT BE FAIR TO SAY THAT THE MAJORITY OF IDEA’S ACTIVITIES ARE DEVOTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION? DO YOU BELIEVE THAT IS WHERE THE KEY TO SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS LIES?

The misconception that people can take nature and its resources for granted must be overcome. Educating people about Earth’s vulnerabilities, helping them see the direct link between environmental degradation and human activity, and highlighting the urgency of the matter – all this can really make a difference in getting people on board for environmental action and sustainable living.
From day one, IDEA has prioritized education as the best way to win people’s hearts and minds so that they commit to protecting the environment and behaving responsibly towards it. These people, especially youth, will pass on the message and motivate others, who, in their turn, will take it further.

This is exactly why IDEA devotes so much attention to education and awareness raising and, every year, we expand our agenda with new study activities covering three pillars of the young generation –children as young as 5 years of age, students and young professionals. Among such activities are numerous training sessions, scientific courses, seminars, lectures, vacation camps, field studies and conversation clubs. Each year, hundreds of young people benefit from IDEA’s educational projects.

Our awareness programs involve attracting public attention and engaging the society in public events. Throughout the city, we have installed billboards, banners and ads featuring environmental calls, as well as green corners. In late 2013, we decided to make documentary films about the nine national parks of Azerbaijan. We labelled this project “Nine Miracles of Azerbaijan”. Three of the films have already been produced and shown to public. Another remarkable project of IDEA was the introduction of new postage stamps illustrating IDEA’s Big Five endangered species in the Caucasus the brown bear, imperial eagle, grey wolf, gazelle and Caucasian leopard.

People should know the value of the treasures they hold before losing them completely. So, I think that helping people appreciate the nature of Azerbaijan and the region is the least we can do to contribute to global environmental efforts aimed at saving our common Planet.

    WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF SOME OF IDEA’S CURRENT EFFORTS AND WHAT NEW INITIATIVES CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE IN THE YEARS AHEAD?

IDEA attaches great importance to the preservation of our region’s rich biodiversity. We have taken a number of practical steps to preserve some of the endangered species of the Caucasus.

IDEA’s milestone project “Reintroduction of gazelles to their historical habitat in the Caucasus” was launched in 2013. The project aims to increase the population of goitered gazelles in the region and relocate them in the areas where they previously lived, but disappeared for various reasons. Similarly, an action plan has been prepared on the reintroduction of bisons and we intend to open a breeding center for them in the Ismayilli district.

In 2014, IDEA increased its efforts to save the Caucasian leopard from extinction. We have organized the Caucasus Cat Summit in Baku, which brought together prominent international cat experts from all around the world and which became the starting point for future efforts in this regard. As a result, IDEA and the Zoological Society of London published a joint report entitled “Recovery of the Leopard in Azerbaijan”, which contained practical recommendations on the issue. Currently, IDEA and its partners are in the process of undertaking the necessary preparation works for the successful implementation the national roadmap that is based on these recommendations. We recently launched cooperation with the Leopard Breeding and Rehabilitation Centre at the Sochi National Park to advance leopard protection and restoration efforts in Azerbaijan.

IDEA also closely cooperates with the leading international experts, notably from the Blue Marine Foundation, with a view to protect and restore the biodiversity of the Caspian.

    “We are committed to conserve Azerbaijan’s biodiversity and to implement similar projects to restore other endemic species of the region that face the threat of extinction.”

Another important part of our work is the protection and expansion of green spaces, especially in urban areas. IDEA’s tree saving efforts include two aspects – prevention and increase. We launched our “No tree cutting!” programme in 2014 to combat and prevent unlawful cutting and removal of trees and shrubs. The 1113 hotline and mobile response team has been created. The program is widely supported by the society and public control over illegal destruction of greeneries has been strengthened since the launch of the program. Since its establishment, IDEA has also organized a number of tree-planting campaigns, as a result of which over 5 million trees have been planted in the country. Indeed, we are planningto persistently carry on our efforts in this regard.

    AS AN ARTIST, MANY OF YOUR WORKS TOUCH ON THE THEME OF NATURE, IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. DO YOU THINK THIS REFLECTS YOUR STRONG COMMITMENT AND PASSION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION?

It is true that the theme of harmony with nature and sources of life is central in my creative process. My focus on wildlife stems from my realization of unity of humans and nature. My artworks merely echo my interpretation of this unity. Development of civilizations, industry and technology, and the process of urbanization – all of these thingsmake people forget that we are all in the realm of nature; we are part of nature. And the harshreality is that those human activities that violate the laws of nature threaten to bring great global calamities. Our utmost responsibility is to be the howling voice of Mother Nature, which houses us and provides us with everything needed for our existence and way of life. This is what drives me as an environmentalist.

    “I was happy to have an opportunity to merge art and environmental action as part of our awareness-raising activities.”

Сommunicating environmental problems through art has proved to be an effective method of attracting public attention. IDEA both organized and supported a number of art events in Azerbaijan and beyond, including traditional exhibitions and street art events, which enjoyed great public interest.

    LEYLA KHANUM, WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT ANDFUTURE GENERATIONS. TO CONCLUDE, IS THERE SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SAY TO OUR YOUNG READERS?

I would like to call upon everyone – both young and old generations – not to ignore the plight of our Planet. Our common home is changing and it is the kind of change that has no upside for mankind. Everyone’s actions,lifestyles and habits have an impact on the environment in one way or another. Hence, everyone must do their part to ensure our common sustainable future.

    “For the sake of future generations, the humanity is ought to protect the place it calls home – the Earth. That is the least we can do to pay tribute to nature for its generosity and beauty that have embraced us for thousands of years.”

No Land was formed in 2012 by Sahand Lesani (electric guitar), Mehmet Akif Ersoy (acoustic guitar) and Kamil Hajiyev (vocal, violin). Later, Chagatay Vural (bass guitar), Can Kalyoncu, Yağız Nevzat İpek (drums), Hazal Akkerman (cello, vocal) joined the group. After this, we needed to hear new tunes, and started working with Oguzcan Bilgin (trumpet) and Vugar Hasani (lyrics). After joining the group everyone helped to develop our music by adding something from their musical background.

 What is the message of your music?

The things I heard during our first works reminded me of something familiar I knew from myself. While performing, we all concentrated on the same feelings; in fact, all of us are learning music… We also became very good friends; in addition to music, we are the team that stands for each other, but sometimes there is tension among us which lasts maximum 24 hours. I think our shared memories can be our message at the same time.  There is no other message apart from them.

Who is the target audience of your music?

When you set up a business, of course, its target audience becomes one of the most important issues, but when it comes to music  you have a chance to be a little more free. Our main target was prouducing music, and we beleived in getting auidience, which came true. Youtube and Spotify know our audience better than us. You can check them and decide.

Where can we spot you in Istanbul?

We take all reputable stages in Istanbul. We will soon release the second album and meet with our audience on different stages.

No Land… do you think you will continue to base the band in Turkey? 

As you can see from our name, we do not plan to stay permanently in any country. This does not mean that we will go everywhere. I want to say that, in fact, the place is not important for us. Our music will continue as long as we are together.

What is the next thing we can expect from ‘’No Land’’? 

As I mentioned, our second album is on the way. Recordings are almost finished. Then there will be a concert in Turkey. We are also invited to Baku, and if everything goes well we would like to take stage there. If we are invited to Georgia, we will definitely appreciate it.

Now after obesity, the new disease of the age “Orthorexia Nervosa” might be threatening your health. Orthorexia Nervosa means “healthy eating obsession”. Orthorexia; combination of Greek terms “Ortho” right, “orexis” appetite, means right appetite. However, when this right appetite reaches uncontrollable dimensions, it becomes a nervous disorder by adding the term “nervosa” and turns out to be a “healthy eating obsession”…

The incidence of the disease is increasing day by day, especially in women and teenage girls who suffer from weight problems!

I seem to hear you saying everybody has this obsession. You are right, but this case is the natural diet obsession that interferes in person’s life. Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) can only be identified if it is seen over a long period of time and has a negative effect on individual’s life (such as thinking about food to prevent life stress, thinking about eating for the most part of the day). Orthorectics eat healthy foods and stay away from what they see as unhealthy. They put the idea of ‘CONTINUOUS HEALTHY DIET’ at the center of their lives and live with this idea almost every day.

In the recent publications of the American Dietetic Association (ADA), orthorexia has been reported to become prevalent in 10 years. Similarly, according to the UK Eating Disorder Association (EDA), orthorexia will threaten our future. Because those who develop healthy food addiction are very selective beacause of their fear of finding harmful substances in their food. For orthorectics, it is very important that the food is pure, mere and unprocessed. For this reason, they try to eat mostly raw fruits and vegetables. After a while, only a few kinds of food remain behind. However, as this condition progresses, limited nutrient diversity results in the formation of the deficient food groups, leading to fast weight loss. This situation is quite unhealthy.

Besides, orthorectics reject the methods of cooking, which they think are wrong. For example; cooking in aluminum pots.

Let’s come to the part you are curious about; How to distinguish orthorectics?

1) Do you plan your meal a day ahead? If you spend more than 3 hours a day on your diet and food, think again.

2) Is it more important for you to eat healthy food than delicious? If you feel deeply guilty while failing aimed clean, healthy and natural food, then the ingridients of the meals stand at the forefront for you. The taste sense easily accepts delicious or simple meals. If you think about the ingridients of the meals you eat more than enjoying it, your existing taste sense and taste choice will be diminished.

3) Have you noticed impairment of your health when you eat sterile foods? Orthorectics attach great importance to hygiene in the preparation of foods. They are afraid to eat outside, and can not stop themselves from thinking about how they are prepared.

4) Do you think yesterday’s diet is insufficient today? They think that while increasing nutritional quality, the quality of life is reducing and they constantly change the way they eat.

5) Do you despise those who don’t eat healthy? They often criticize others’ eating habits and make suggestions.

6) Do you feel guilty when you stray from your targeted habit of clean, healthy and natural diet? They can feel happy and successful by eating properly; but turning away from their truths will make them feel guilty and regretful.

If you say “yes” to many of these questions, then you are showing the sign of the next generation eating disorder, orthorexia. If you do not want to be orthorectic you need to do;

• Adequate and balanced eating
• Do not force yourself, do not overdo your diet
• Avoid mono-diet
• Do not stay hungry for a long time by eating little and often
• Consult a dietetician
• Drinking enough water for body balance every day will keep you away from healthy eating obsessions.

Dietetician SİMGE ÇOLAKOĞLU

Mail: dyt.simgecolakoglu@gmail.com

Instagram: dyt.simgecolakoglu

Type 1 diabetes is a type of diabetes seen after 6 months and is often a “autoimmune” disease (immune system cells are damaged by pancreatic insulin-producing beta cells). It is more common in children and youths, they have to live insulin-dependent life, because pancreatic insulin-producing cells are damaged. Without insulin, glucose taken with food can not enter the cells, so it can not be used as a source of energy. In children with type 1 diabetes, symptoms such as drinking too much water, passing urine more often than usual, particularly at night (sometimes nocturnal enuresis) and most importantly weight loss occur suddenly, and if early diagnosis is not possible, “diabetic ketoacidosis” can happen which causes a coma as well. While the main problem with diabetes is related to glucose metabolism, protein and fat metabolism are also impaired in the course of the disease, and in the long term tiny blood vessels (capillaries) can be damaged.

Unlike Type 2 diabetes, which is mostly caused by obesity, Type 1 diabetes is a rare disease. According to the World Diabetes Federation, 10% of the 400 million people in the world are Type 1 diabetics. In our country, there are about 7 million Type 2 diabetics, while about 50,000 people are Type 1 diabetics, and half of them are children. According to recent studies, there are around 20,000 diabetic children in our country and each year about 1,700 children are diagnosed Type 1 diabetes.  No one thinks of diabetes especially in children because of its rarity and neither beleive that type 1 diabetics can lead a normal life like everyone else. 

Society does not know Type 1 diabetes

Children either meet with diabetes at an early age when they do not know themselves or at the beginning of adolescence. Either way, they have a long time to grow up and they live this time with diabetes. They actually grow up with diabetes; diabetes affects their growths and vice versa. Even though they try to cope with the difficulties of growing up with diabetes, these children face many problems. Some children regret that they have to hide their diabetes for a long time from their surroundings, friends.

The main reason why children with diabetes live these difficulties is that the community don’t know type 1 diabetes. Those who meet a child with type 1 diabetes often for the first time look at them with pity and think that they will not live a normal life, will not be able to marry and have children like everyone else. If some children are known to be diabetic, they will not be able to get rid of the thought to be treated differently.

To cure Type 1 diabetes and get rid of insulin treatment is the greatest longing of all diabetics, but unfortunately today there is no such treatment yet ‘’to get rid of diabetes’’ and provide insulin secretion of pancreas as before. We say yet because research in this field is still going on. Type 1 diabetics and their families have difficulties in accepting diabetes as a lifelong disease, and they always expect a miracle. A miracle is not possible if Type 1 diabetes diagnosis is true. Despite these facts, there are some “hope mongers” who aver that they cure this disease with various plants, etc. abusing hopes of patients with diabetes. Be careful with these people and never give up the right treatment of diabetes by beleiving in these miraculous treatments.

Diabetes at School 

Diabetic children spend most of their time in school and need support from their teachers for uninterrupted continuation of their treatments and participation in all school activities as their compeers. Today, the role of teachers in the treatment of diabetes is increasing. Teachers should be trained for diabetic emergencies as low blood sugar, etc. In addition, diabetic children should have snack meals, getting insulin should be made easier for them, and informative meetings should be held for a school life that is compatible with their friends. Nowadays diabetic children are experiencing many problems in schools. For example, teachers who do not know about tip 1 diabetes keep children away from school activities by saying ‘’we can’t take responsibility’’.

“Diabetes at School” program was initiated in November 2010 in cooperation with the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Health in order to solve the problems that diabetic children have in schools. The purpose of this program is to help early diagnosis of diabetes by strengthening school care of diabetic children and providing teachers and students with information about diabetes in children.  

Diabetic children and youths can do all kind of physical exercises!

Today, children and youths with diabetes can live a normal life if they look well after themselves. The main point is accepting diabetes and doing what is necessary. Shevar Ercan, who lives in Diyarbakır and plays basketball at Giresun University Team, tells how she became ‘’friend’’ with her diabetes: ‘’I’m a basketball player.  We were in Turkey Championship game held in Sivas. I had excessive weight loss and fatigue. I related it to the intense tempo at that moment, but as these complaints occured suddenly, we went to a hospital in Diyarbakir where I was diagnosed diabetes. There is a nurse there, Munevver. We are as friends. She explained me everything; that this disease will not hurt me, if I get along well with and accept it as a friend. I did not believe at first. Then when we were back home, I realized that when I really looked well after myself,  it also responded well to me. Despite I attended the tournament immediately after the hospital and my blood sugar  was not fully regulated, I performed well and got the award. I accepted my disease as a friend that would never leave me alone in my life and realized that there was nothing to stop me from doing other activities.’’

 There are many successful athletes like Sheval among diabetics. One of them is Alper Saruhan with Type 1 diabetes, basketball player who attends “My Friend Diabetes Camp” in Iznik every year. Alper Saruhan makes simple, impressive and inspiring speeches for children in camps and boosts children’s energy by saying “the life of diabetic children deserves the title “Survivor’’(survives despite the difficult circumstances) more than the life on the TV programs, that your own life can teach you to be a successful athlete with diabetes, that diabetes can not be a barrier in reaching your goals, that all difficulties can be overcome if you become friends with diabetes”. Likewise, type 1 diabetic marathoner Gürkan Açıkgöz who comes to Iznik every year, explains the importance of sports in diabetic life as: “He controls diabetes better because he runs and runs better because controls diabetes well.”

Let’s popularize diabetes camps!

We, a group of doctors, nutritionists, nurses, medical students dealing with diabetes in children, have been gathering around the Iznik lakeside with about 90 diabetic children every year since 1997. Diabetes camps offer unique opportunities for both diabetes education and diabetic children to live in peace and friendship with diabetes. Children with diabetes live together with experienced diabetic fellows, doctors, nurses, dietitians, psychologists and medical students for a week. Peer interaction and encountering experienced people in diabetes treatment in camps can change the lives of children with diabetes. Beyond these, diabetic children understand through their experiences that they are not alone, that diabetes is not a source of sadness, that they can live on their own away from their families. There are entertainment and sports as well as education and friendship in camps. Children regain their confidence in camps and make a fresh start to their lives. Considering all this, children with diabetes in our country should visit diabetes camps at least once.

A few years ago, we tried to describe the emotions in the camps and children’s experiences of being friends with diabetes in a documentary film called “My Friend Diabet”. The aim of this documentary is  better understanding  of diabetic children by society, teachers and health care. One of the main actors of the documentary is an Endocrinology Professor Oğuzhan Deyneli who also has Type 1 diabetes. The documentary describes his and children’s lives together and ends with his inspirational words for diabetic children and youths: “If we take care of our diabetes as required, we can lead a normal and successful life”.

 It is possible to be friends with diabetes!

 When a child is diabetic, the most important thing is to left behind all worries as soon as possible and organize the life by accepting and fulfilling the needs of diabetes treatment. We can define this view as being friends with diabetes. Actually, it might sound like a romantic word. In fact, this basically describes how to be at peace with diabetes in the treatment of this disease, not to see diabetes as a constant anxiety, be careful about friends’ and own diabetes. Dr. Oğuzhan Deyneli who had type 1 diabetes during high school and now works as an Adult Diabetes Specialist at Koç University Hospital puts into words the important place of being  “friend with diabetes” in his own life: “My first encounter with diabetes happened when I was 15 years old. It was a new secretive thing for my family and me.  There were not a lot of supporters then who would give information about diabetes in the hospital. When I first get insulin shots, I felt better, because I replaced the missing hormones in my body and balanced my sugar. The most important step we actually try to take while treating diabetes, is to become friends with our diabetes and make it a part of our life.”

Professor Dr. Şükrü Hatun

Koç University Faculty of Medicine

Department of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes

& Head of Diabetic Children’s Foundation

The SK group has been helped by the Baltic nation’s natural beauty, SPA traditions, and noteworthy cultural offerings. But that is just the surface.

“Many factors make Lithuania an attractive care destination: highly qualified and professional doctors, comprehensive healthcare infrastructure, attentive staff with strong language skills, and rather modest prices for an EU country. Plus it’s a very pleasant setting for patients and those accompanying them,” notes Dr Laimutis Paškevičius, the CEO of MDTC, who also heads the Lithuanian Medical Tourism Association and is the chairman of the local medical tourism cluster LitCare.

Convenience

Experience is key for a smooth patient experience in medical tourism, and MDTC has been active in the area for more than a decade. It thus has an understanding of visiting patients’ needs and how to meet them. From scheduling and dietary matters, to help with visas, travel and accommodation. In fact, the center pledges to arrange examination, diagnosis and treatment planning all in one day when needed.

At its modern facilities in Vilnius, the Medical Diagnostic and Treatment Center employs more than 180 experienced medical specialists in 53 fields. It is one of the biggest private healthcare providers in Lithuania. With state-of-the-art imaging and other equipment and five laboratories, it can do virtually any diagnostic tests on-site.

The center also offers 100 types of surgeries as well as rehabilitation. It is certified as meeting medical quality standards from the U.S., Germany and the U.K., and was the first in the country to implement the ISO 15189 international laboratory standard.

Affordable quality

“People come here from highly developed countries for fast, convenient access to quality medical care – often at half the cost they’d pay at home,” the center’s director says. “People also come from less developed countries, often for treatments that aren’t available where they live, at least not very safely,” he adds.

Over a third of MDTC’s foreign patients come from the U.K. and Ireland, making them the company’s biggest source market, according to Dr Paškevičius. Another 20% come from within the Nordic and Baltic region, and about 10% come from Eastern Europe: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and so on.

Making payment easier, the center can accept most international health insurance plans thanks to its agreements with a long list of major insurance providers. EU citizens living abroad may be able to get reimbursed for treatment at MDTC; those from England may be eligible for reimbursement from NHS England.

Beauty and smiles

The SK group also runs the Sugihara Beauty Therapy and Surgery Clinic, with eminent plastic surgeons, dermatologists and other beauty experts. Like MDTC, Sugihara also enjoys an international reputation for leading specialists, wise and ethical advice, and results that always meet or exceed expectations.

Last but not least is Denticija, a regional pioneer in modern dentistry with 72 skilled dentists at 3 sites in Vilnius and Kaunas. These dental clinics share with the rest of the SK group a focus on international standards of excellence, keeping up with advances in treatments and technologies, and sincere attention to every patient.

No wonder so many international patients are smiling after visiting Lithuania, where companies like SK’s have met their medical, dental and beauty needs so very well.