Bariatric Surgery in Turkey: How the Process Works for Patients Travelling from Abroad

Bariatric surgery is one of those operations for which patients are willing to travel outside their own city, and often their own country. This article explains how the process works for patients considering coming to Mersin from another city or from abroad. You can work out your own body mass index on the BMI calculator page.

Before You Travel: Initial Correspondence

The process starts before you set off. Sharing the following in advance, where you have them, makes it clear from the outset which tests will still be missing when you arrive in Mersin:

• Height, weight and body mass index
• Existing conditions: type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnoea, thyroid disease
• A list of the medicines you take regularly
• Blood tests from the last six months
• An endoscopy (gastroscopy) report if you have one
• Operative reports if you have had previous stomach or abdominal surgery

This exchange is a preliminary assessment, not a diagnosis or a decision to operate. That decision is taken only after examination.

What to Bring with You?

• Printed or digital copies of your test results and imaging
• The boxes of your medicines, or a list of active ingredients
• Previous operative reports and pathology results
• If you take blood thinners, state this from the very beginning

Some of your existing tests may need to be repeated in Mersin. This is not waste: the decision to operate is made on current values, and differences between laboratories can affect the result.

Getting to Mersin

Mersin has no airport of its own. The nearest is Adana airport, about an hour away; Çukurova International Airport also serves the region. Most patients arriving from abroad connect through Istanbul or Ankara on a domestic flight. Travelling by road from neighbouring provinces (Adana, Antalya, Tarsus, Osmaniye, Hatay, Karaman) is also common. The hospital is in the Mezitli district of Mersin.

How Many Days Should You Plan For?

No exact number of days can be given; the length depends on the method, on any co-existing conditions and on how recovery goes, and it is settled after the consultation. The general shape of it is three parts:

• Pre-operative assessment: examination, any missing tests, and where needed endocrinology, cardiology, respiratory and psychiatry consultations, plus endoscopy
• Hospital stay: usually 2-3 days for sleeve gastrectomy, 3-4 days for gastric bypass
• Check before departure: a final assessment before you travel

If you are planning a long flight, discuss the return date with your doctor; a long immobile journey in the early period after surgery is assessed separately for the risk of venous thrombosis.

Language and Communication

Consultations are conducted in Turkish and English. If an interpreter is needed in another language, this is arranged through the international patient department within the hospital. Having the pre-operative explanation and consent process carried out in a language you understand is a part of the process that must not be skipped.

Follow-up After You Return Home

In bariatric surgery the outcome is determined not on the operating table but in the months that follow. Follow-up is therefore maintained despite the distance:

• Blood tests: at months 1, 3, 6 and 12 in the first year, then once a year. These can be done where you live and the results shared.
• Vitamin and mineral supplements: B12, iron, vitamin D, calcium and folic acid. These are not temporary; the altered stomach anatomy permanently limits absorption.
• Nutritional follow-up: the schedule from the liquid phase to normal food is set out in detail in the article on eating after bariatric surgery.
• Contact: communication continues via WhatsApp after you return home, and the results of follow-up tests can be sent for assessment.

What to Weigh Up When Deciding?

The most common mistake patients travelling for treatment make is reducing the decision to a single criterion. The headings that deserve assessment are:

• The surgeon's case experience in this particular operation and which methods they perform
• The hospital where the surgery will take place and its intensive care and emergency capability
• The scope of pre-operative preparation: whether endoscopy and endocrinology, nutritional and psychiatric assessments are carried out
• How follow-up is set up: who you will be in contact with once you are home, and at what intervals
• What happens if a complication arises: having agreed in advance where you would turn if a problem developed in the early period

Surgery is a beginning. Whether the weight lost is kept off is determined by the eating routine and the follow-up over the following twelve months. A process with no follow-up plan therefore remains incomplete, however well the operation itself is performed.

Disclaimer. This article is provided for general information only. It does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or a treatment recommendation, and it is not a substitute for examination, diagnosis and treatment by a physician. The content is not tailored to any individual and is not intended as advertising. Do not start, change or stop any treatment on the basis of the information here. Consult your own doctor about any decision concerning your health and see a healthcare provider about your symptoms. The site owner accepts no liability for any consequences arising from use of this content. Last updated: 2026-08-18.