So I was reading a review by a patient about his experience in Istanbul Turkey and I was more interested in the overall situation OF his experience and not so much of the details about his experience. What I mean is, it all seemed just so, I don't know, convenient. The guy started posting his questions about this clinic on March 31st of 2015. By April 9th of 2015 he was saying that he found a negative review of the doctor but that it seemed suspicious and he was booking his procedure for the following month. Then, next thing you know, he's flying to Turkey on April 19th and having his surgery on April 20th and by April 24th he was already back home and writing a full page report of every little detail for the world to see. Does this not seem unusual? I've been doing this a long time and while I have seen cases of patients doing their research and just throwing caution to the wind and taken a last minute opening there is something about this scenario that just keeps bugging me.
I did some digging about this place and as it turns out, the doctor that supposedly runs this outfit doesn't do any of the FUE extractions himself. He does only the incisions. I haven't asked the patient about this yet but I think this kind of detail should be presented front and center for anyone consider hair restoration surgery. The thing that really stuck out about me however is how the clinic has decided to market itself and it makes me seriously question the ethics involved with patient confidentiality. There are two instances that I consider to be clear violations in this regard.
Should Hair Transplant Patient Confidentiality Be Important?
There are two videos produced by the hospital that the clinic is a part of that have no respect for confidentiality. While the first video is progressing it is obvious that the camera is a simple device such as an iPhone and it is simply handheld as the shooter wanders through the hospital. You can tell because it so shaky. There is nothing actually wrong with this but the first problem arises when it is obvious that no one in the hospital knew that there was a video being shot as numerous people that the camera comes upon quickly turn their faces to avoid being identified on camera. And this was left IN the video? This is just silly. But the real problem comes when the cameraman walks through what looks like a waiting room and there is a bald guy just sitting there by himself, minding his own business, and the camera continues. Hair transplant patient confidentiality was not a priority in this video. There are multiple examples.
The second video is a slick promotional video meant for international viewing. It is very friendly showing a patient as he arrives in Turkey and his every need attended to. However, what is revealed in the video was something I had to look at three times to believe what I was seeing. There is part of the video, at 42 seconds in, that shows the email address and the full name of the patient!!!! WHAT. THE. HELL??? How could the producer of the video be so foolish? Further, how could the HOSPITAL be so foolish? They did review this for approval, didn't they? So you know, when you look at the image to the left, I'm the one that blurred out the last name of the patient, not the clinic. It was fully revealed with no question about what the name was. Hair transplant patient confidentiality was not even remotely considered for this production.
I want to be clear, I have no problem with people going to Turkey for hair restoration surgery or any kind of surgery for that matter. Turkey offers a great value for this purpose. I myself am working with a Turkish doctor now, Dr. Emre Karadeniz at AEK Hair Institute, so I obviously believe that Turkey is a worthwhile option to consider. What I do have a problem with however is this utter lack of care regarding hair transplant patient confidentiality. It may not seem like a big deal but it should be something to keep in mind when you are doing your research. If you are considering a clinic in Turkey you should ask them about their privacy policy and then ask them about the image you are seeing in this post. The hospital in both videos is Medical Park.
Remember to think, learn and apply.
