After undergoing a life-changing obesity surgery, Özlem Özkulak became a prominent leader in the health tourism sector. Through the “Find Doctor in Turkey” platform, she has promoted Turkish doctors worldwide and strengthened Turkey’s health tourism potential on the international stage with her innovative approaches.
Find Doctor in Turkey: Turkey’s Leadership in Health Tourism
Özlem Özkulak stands out with her entrepreneurial story in the field of health tourism. To ensure that Turkish doctors and hospitals are recognized worldwide, she founded the “Find Doctor in Turkey” platform, addressing a major gap in the sector. Noticing that doctors and hospitals in Turkey struggle to reach international patients due to technological and advertising restrictions, Özkulak aimed to provide a reliable solution through this platform. Thanks to it, doctors and hospitals can promote themselves on equal terms without having to find patients through expensive social media campaigns. Meanwhile, patients gain the opportunity to choose their doctors and hospitals with verified information. Find Doctor in Turkey, still in the process of software development and set to become even stronger, brings an innovative perspective to health tourism.
Headquartered in Istanbul, with branches in İzmir, Balıkesir, Antalya, and Bursa, the platform also operates in Georgia. Currently preparing to open branches in the UK, USA, and Germany, this initiative has become a significant player in the health tourism sector under Özlem Özkulak’s leadership. With this platform, Turkey’s global recognition in health tourism contributes to the delivery of trustworthy and accessible healthcare services.
While working as an advertising director at a national newspaper, Özlem Özkulak took a life-changing step: wanting to lose her excess weight, she underwent obesity surgery. This not only transformed her physical appearance but also marked a revolutionary change in her career. After the surgery, she quickly lost weight, dropped to 55 kilos, and embarked on a journey of rediscovery. This personal transformation fueled her interest in the healthcare field.
After her surgery, Özkulak began engaging with health tourism. Drawing strength from her advertising background, she decided to carve out a path in this new sector. She first took health tourism training to enter the industry on solid ground. Soon, she was elected as the İzmir Representative of the Turkey Health Tourism Association. During this period, she spearheaded many projects in health tourism and organized a large-scale obesity fair in İzmir in 2018. The fair attracted great interest from academics, specialists, and the public, further solidifying Özkulak’s vision of leadership in health tourism.
A Global Vision with the “Find Doctor in Turkey” Platform
In 2018, Özlem Özkulak took her success in the health tourism sector a step further by founding the “Find Doctor in Turkey” platform. This innovative initiative stood out as a digitalized approach to health tourism, aiming to make Turkish doctors recognized on the international stage. Established to attract foreign patients to Turkey and make Turkish doctors more visible and preferred worldwide, the platform quickly secured an important place in the health tourism sector. Under Özlem Özkulak’s leadership, the platform highlighted the quality services of Turkish doctors in the global market, strengthening Turkey’s position in health tourism.
2020: Innovative Projects and Sustainable Success
Always open to innovation in the health tourism sector, Özkulak continued her efforts to further enhance Turkey’s health tourism potential. She especially developed local and international collaborations to highlight İzmir’s unique value in health tourism. During this time, she began working on a new project developed at the technopark, creating technological solutions to help patients manage their treatment processes more effectively. This initiative aimed to make health tourism services more efficient and accessible.
Gambian Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources, Ms. Rohey John Manyang, Chose Turkey
In recent years, as Turkey’s health tourism sector faced increasing competition, Özlem Özkulak demonstrated strategic leadership. While many businesses thought lowering prices was the way to attract patients, she argued that this would bring short-term gains but harm the sector in the long run. According to her vision, Turkey’s success in health tourism could be sustained through service quality and innovative approaches rather than price competition. By participating in international fairs and using digital marketing to increase global visibility, she promoted the achievements of Turkish doctors and Turkey’s healthcare infrastructure worldwide.
A Visionary on Turkey’s Path to Health Tourism Leadership
With her innovative solutions and determined leadership in health tourism, Özlem Özkulak continues to make Turkey an international brand in this sector. This journey, which began with her personal transformation, grows with the goal of making Turkey a world leader in health tourism. Through the “Find Doctor in Turkey” platform and international collaborations, Özlem Özkulak stands out not just as a leader but as a visionary shaping the future of Turkey’s health tourism.
