American woman flies to Turkey for $810 full-body scan — says it would've cost her 'zillions' in US
The exorbitant cost of healthcare in the US has pushed people to travel overseas to save money. Medical tourism has been on the rise and Turkey has become a popular destination for Americans. Earlier this year, TikTok creator Bryn Elise (@bryn.elise) went viral after sharing her experience with medical tourism in Turkey. She claimed that she got a full body checkup for just $810, and saved thousands by not choosing to do it in the US.
Here's a good reason to renew passports
In the video titled "I flew to Turkey to get the most in-depth checkup of my life,” which has amassed a whopping 16.6 million views, Elise documents her entire experience. She says by choosing to get the check up done in Turkey, she saved a "zillion thousand dollars" and skipped months-long wait to get in line. "It was the greatest thing I have ever done for my health and bank account," the creator says in the video.
The most in-depth check up of her life
She says she did all the tests which would have taken months in the US in just one day. She then goes on to document every test she went through. She was guided by her translator/coordinator who took her for a blood draw for the first test. She also got an EKG done and recorded her blood pressure, height, and weight.
Next up was radiology where she got a chest x-ray and an abdominal, thyroid ultrasound. She then went to nuclear medicine to get an advanced bone density scan. After lunch, she went to see the internal medicine doctor to go over her test results. "We went through 30 plus scans, tests, and cancer markers," she says in the video.
Elise then goes to the gynecologist to get a pap smear test. Next was ophthalmology where she was diagnosed with astigmatism and was prescribed glasses. She skips dental as she recently got a check-up in the US and goes over to cardiology for a stress test and echocardiogram.
The Fanciest Hospital Ever
Elise shared that she chose a memorial group hospital for the check-up which she says was the fanciest hospital ever. On her trip to lunch, she says the facility has taken hospital food to another level with an in-house restaurant that patients can order from.
She further shares that the hospital is also accredited by Joint Commission International and has the greatest reviews online.
All for a jaw-dropping price
Elise says she loves health tourism, simply because she wouldn't have been able to afford such care in the US. She then reveals that all of the tests and consultations cost her only $810.
Meanwhile, a full chest x-ray alone in the U.S. can cost up to $1,000, as per Cleaveland Clinic. Elise says that she would rather spend $700 on flight tickets and get world-class care and vacation instead of spending thousands of dollars in the U.S.
Naturally, viewers were shell shocked to learn how cheap health care is outside of the US. "I fell out of my chair when I heard the price," wrote user @grandmammycorban. "Every single specialty doc in one day is life changing!" added @katsandiego.
Several others mentioned that this would be their ideal vacation from now on. "Girl I’m at the age where I’d plan my vacation around this hospital stay," shared @april.showers.az.
@bryn.elise Trying the VIP checkup package 🫢 Memorial Hospital Bahçelievler📍 To make an appointment i just went to the Memorial.com.tr website and filled out the contact form 🙌 Or you can email memorial.eu@memorial.com.tr I'll make a followup video sharing my results soon 😊
♬ original sound - Bryn Elise
For more updates, vlogs and entertaining content, follow Bryn Elise (@bryn.elise) on TikTok.
This article originally appeared 1 month ago.