Acibadem Healthcare Group

Acibadem Healthcare Group is Turkey's largest and most recognised private hospital chain, founded in 1991 by Mehmet Ali Aydinlar as a single polyclinic in the Kadikoy district of Istanbul. What began as a modest outpatient facility has expanded over three decades into a major international healthcare conglomerate. In 2012, the Malaysian IHH Healthcare Berhad — one of the world's largest private hospital groups — acquired a controlling stake in Acibadem, integrating it into a global network that spans Turkey, Germany, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria.

As of recent years, Acibadem operates more than 20 hospitals across Turkey, including flagship facilities in Maslak, Kadikoy, Fulya (Besiktas), Taksim, Atakent, Bakirkoy, and Altunizade in Istanbul, as well as hospitals in Adana, Ankara, Kayseri, Bursa, Gaziantep, and Bodrum. The group employs over 14,000 staff, including more than 1,000 physicians, and cares for millions of patients annually.

Acibadem was among the first Turkish hospital groups to pursue international quality accreditation, with its Kadikoy hospital among the earliest in Turkey to receive Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation in the early 2000s. Today, multiple Acibadem hospitals hold JCI accreditation, reflecting the group's enduring commitment to global clinical standards. The group was listed on the Istanbul Stock Exchange (BIST), making it the first Turkish healthcare institution to go public, though following the IHH acquisition it was later delisted.

Acibadem's philosophy centres on integrating advanced technology with compassionate patient care. It maintains a hospital information system linking all its facilities, enabling seamless record sharing and clinical coordination. The group's research and education arm supports postgraduate medical training and clinical trials, reinforcing its role as both a clinical and academic leader in Turkish healthcare.

Acibadem Healthcare Group is renowned for its multidisciplinary depth, offering comprehensive services across more than 30 medical and surgical specialties. Oncology is among its flagship strengths: the Acibadem Cancer Centres offer medical oncology, radiation oncology, and surgical oncology under one roof, with capabilities including CyberKnife radiosurgery, PET-CT, and bone marrow transplantation. The cardiology and cardiovascular surgery division provides coronary angioplasty, open-heart surgery, structural heart interventions, and advanced electrophysiology studies.

Neurology and neurosurgery services cover brain tumour resection, epilepsy surgery, spinal surgery, and deep brain stimulation. Organ transplantation — including kidney, liver, and bone marrow transplants — is a major area of clinical activity, supported by dedicated transplant coordinators and multidisciplinary teams. Orthopaedics and sports medicine, reproductive medicine and IVF, gastroenterology, urology, and plastic and reconstructive surgery are all well-developed specialties.

Additional departments include anaesthesiology, dermatology, ear-nose-throat (ENT), ophthalmology, paediatrics and neonatology, psychiatry, pulmonology, and physical therapy and rehabilitation. Acibadem's dental division provides cosmetic dentistry, implantology, and maxillofacial surgery. The group's medical check-up programmes are especially popular with international patients seeking comprehensive preventive health assessments.

Acibadem's hospitals are purpose-built modern facilities designed to international standards. Across the network, the group maintains hundreds of inpatient beds — with individual hospitals ranging from approximately 100 to over 400 beds — alongside extensive intensive care capacity. Maslak Hospital, one of the group's largest, features over 400 beds, multiple operating theatres, a large ICU, and advanced imaging including 3T MRI and 256-slice CT scanners.

The group invests heavily in cutting-edge medical technology. Its CyberKnife radiosurgery systems, available at select hospitals, enable non-invasive treatment of tumours with sub-millimetre precision. PET-CT scanners, linear accelerators for radiotherapy, robotic surgery systems, and state-of-the-art catheterisation laboratories are deployed across the network. Laboratory services are centralised and certified, ensuring consistent diagnostic accuracy.

Patient facilities are designed for comfort: private and semi-private rooms, dedicated patient-family support areas, in-hospital pharmacy services, international patient lounges, and prayer rooms. All hospitals are equipped with 24-hour emergency departments capable of handling complex trauma and cardiac emergencies. The group's internal hospital information system (HIS) integrates patient records electronically across all facilities, supporting continuity of care.

Acibadem Healthcare Group is one of Turkey's primary destinations for international medical tourism, attracting patients from the Middle East, Europe, Central Asia, the Balkans, and beyond. The group has dedicated International Patient Centres at its major hospitals, staffed by multilingual coordinators fluent in English, Arabic, Russian, German, and other languages depending on the location.

International patients benefit from end-to-end support: pre-travel medical consultation and case review, visa and entry requirement guidance, airport transfers, hotel and accommodation arrangements, translation services, and full post-discharge follow-up including coordination with home-country physicians. The group maintains overseas representative offices and partner networks in several countries to facilitate patient referrals.

Common procedures sought by international patients include oncology treatment, cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, orthopaedic surgery, fertility treatment, and comprehensive health check-up programmes. Turkey's healthcare costs — typically 50–70% lower than comparable care in Western Europe or the USA — combined with Acibadem's JCI-accredited quality, make the group a compelling choice for medical tourists. The group's website and international helpline provide direct access to coordinators who manage the full patient journey from inquiry to recovery.

Acibadem Healthcare Group holds Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation at multiple hospital sites, one of the most rigorous quality certifications in global healthcare. JCI accreditation requires hospitals to meet over 1,200 measurable elements of performance spanning patient safety, clinical quality, infection control, and management systems — and is renewed through regular on-site surveys.

In addition to JCI, Acibadem hospitals comply with Turkish Ministry of Health (Saglik Bakanligi) quality standards and licensing requirements, which are mandatory for all hospitals operating in Turkey. Selected Acibadem facilities also hold ISO certifications covering specific departments and laboratory services. The group participates in international benchmarking programmes and maintains active peer relationships with leading academic medical centres globally, including research and training collaborations. Its commitment to evidence-based medicine and continuous quality improvement is embedded in its clinical governance framework.