Patient Transfer Service on the European Side

The European Side is not a uniform area. The old buildings of the historic peninsula, the large hospital campuses of Başakşehir, the busy streets of Beşiktaş and the villages of Çatalca are all on the same side. We factor these differences into every transfer plan.

Districts we serve

On the European Side, we provide patient transfer in Arnavutköy, Avcılar, Bağcılar, Bahçelievler, Bakırköy, Başakşehir, Bayrampaşa, Beşiktaş, Beylikdüzü, Beyoğlu, Büyükçekmece, Çatalca, Esenler, Esenyurt, Eyüpsultan, Fatih, Gaziosmanpaşa, Güngören, Kağıthane, Küçükçekmece, Sarıyer, Silivri, Sultangazi, Şişli and Zeytinburnu. Districts far from the city center, such as Silivri and Çatalca, are also covered by our planned transfers.

Patient transfer services on the European Side

• Home-to-hospital transfer: When you need to go from your home in Bahçelievler, Bağcılar or Esenyurt to a hospital for a check-up, tests or admission, a stretcher ambulance is scheduled. The team comes up to your apartment, takes the patient to the vehicle and hands them over to the relevant unit at the hospital.
• Return home after discharge: Patients discharged from facilities such as Başakşehir Çam ve Sakura City Hospital, Acıbadem Atakent Hospital or Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşcıoğlu City Hospital are picked up from the ward and taken home. The team stays with the patient until they are settled in the bed in their room.
• Inter-hospital referral: Patients are referred between hospitals on the European Side for advanced tests or treatment requiring specialist care. Once the receiving physician has given approval, the equipment is determined according to the patient's clinical needs.
• Recurring treatment transfers: For patients who need to go to a dialysis center, chemotherapy unit or physical therapy session several days a week, a round-trip schedule is set up on fixed days and at fixed times. When session changes are reported, the schedule is updated accordingly.
• Bedridden patient transfer: In the steep, narrow-street neighborhoods of Beyoğlu, Fatih and Kağıthane, it is common for the vehicle to be unable to pull up to the building. For bedridden patients, we ask about these conditions in advance; if needed, short-distance stretcher carrying and additional staff are planned, at no extra charge.
• ICU transfer: Patients who need ventilator support, continuous monitoring or an infusion pump are transported in our ICU-equipped ambulances and, as needed, with a physician-staffed team. The timing and suitability of the transfer are determined together with the patient's intensive care physician and the receiving hospital.
• Istanbul Airport transfer: For patients arriving at or departing from Istanbul Airport, located within the boundaries of Arnavutköy, we provide ambulance transfers between the terminal and a hospital or home. The flight time, airline approval and handover point are confirmed in advance.
• Intercity transfer: We transfer patients by road from the European Side to cities such as İzmir, Bursa and Antalya; these are the cities we transfer patients to most often. For long journeys, oxygen, medication and rest-stop plans are prepared before departure.

Transfers in Silivri, Çatalca and the northern districts

Silivri and Çatalca are in the west of the European Side, far from the major hospital centers. Because travel times are long for transfers in these areas, the following preparations become important:

• Making sure the patient has the medications they will need during the journey
• Planning oxygen cylinder capacity according to travel time for patients who use oxygen
• Identifying a point the ambulance can reach at village addresses
• Confirming the appointment or admission time at the destination hospital

Similar planning applies to Arnavutköy, the northern neighborhoods of Sarıyer and the rural parts of Eyüpsultan. At these addresses, sharing your location helps the team reach the right spot.

Intercity transfer from the European Side

For intercity transfers from the European Side, the most frequent destinations are İzmir, Bursa and Antalya. For these transfers, the highway route best suited to the patient's condition and traffic is chosen. An intercity transfer is usually prepared in the following steps:

• The receiving hospital or address is confirmed; for transfers to a hospital, the receiving physician's approval is obtained.
• The patient's fitness to travel is assessed, together with their physician if necessary.
• The team composition and equipment are determined according to the length of the journey and the patient's condition.
• Rest stops and checkpoints along the route are planned.

Our article explaining the process and documents in detail: Intercity patient transfer: process and preparation

Istanbul Airport ambulance transfer

Istanbul Airport is located in the north of the city, within the boundaries of Arnavutköy. When transferring patients who come to Istanbul for treatment or who will fly back home, the airline's conditions for accepting stretcher or wheelchair passengers are decisive. These approvals are usually obtained before the flight with a physician's report. The ambulance team is scheduled to be ready at the handover point specified by the airline, and the time is updated in case of flight delays.

How is a transfer carried out on the European Side?

• Receiving the request: When you call 0212 912 51 84, we first ask where the patient is, where they are going and their general health condition. During this call, the patient's ability to walk, oxygen use and the floor of the building are also recorded.
• Determining the team and equipment: Based on the information gathered, the equipment to be prepared in our ICU-equipped ambulance is determined. Whether a physician will be on the team is decided according to your request and the patient's needs.
• Pickup at the address: The team arrives at the address at the scheduled time and briefly assesses the patient's general condition. The patient is then moved to the ambulance using carrying equipment suited to the building, either a stretcher or a carry chair.
• Monitoring during the transfer: Throughout the journey, the medical team monitors the patient's vital signs and looks after their comfort. The team assesses the route in real time based on traffic on major roads such as the D-100 and TEM.
• Handover and briefing: The patient is taken all the way to the relevant unit at the hospital or to their bed at home. Any significant findings observed during the journey are passed on to the receiving medical staff or the patient's family.

The cost of patient transfer on the European Side is assessed separately for each transfer; a short transfer in a district near Merter and a transfer from Silivri to another city do not involve the same conditions. The main factors affecting the price are listed below. For information, call 0212 912 51 84.

Patient transfer cost on the European Side

The team's waiting time while tests or discharge procedures are ongoing at the hospital, a same-day return transfer, the medical support the patient needs and whether a physician will be on the team are also reflected in the price. We do not charge extra for carrying patients in buildings without an elevator. All cost items are on our Istanbul patient transfer page; for information, call 0212 912 51 84.