For patients in South Africa
Foot and ankle surgery in Turkey from South Africa: a plain guide
This page is an overview of the foot and ankle operations we arrange in İzmir, written for patients travelling from South Africa. It explains what each operation is for, how the assessment works before anything is booked, and what to plan when you will be walking carefully on a healing foot and the flight home takes around ten hours. Each procedure has its own detailed page, linked below.
In short: We arrange two planned foot operations in Turkey: bunion correction and toe shortening, both carried out by board-certified orthopaedic surgeons in İzmir. South Africans travel with an e-Visa and a direct flight to Istanbul, then a short connection to İzmir. The surgeon decides from your examination and X-rays whether an operation is right for you, which technique to use and when you are fit to fly home.
Last updated: October 2026
Guides for South African patients
We have written separate South African guides for both foot operations:
Knees, shoulders, the spine and joint replacement are covered in our wider orthopaedic surgery guide for South African patients.
Foot procedures we offer
Each link goes to the full treatment page, with candidacy, technique and recovery. The overview of both is on the foot and ankle surgery page.
- Bunion removal — corrects the deformity at the base of the big toe (hallux valgus), usually by realigning the bone and holding it with small screws or plates; in severe cases the joint may be fused
- Toe shortening — removes a small section of bone to shorten a long second or third toe that is pressed by shoes or is starting to bend into a hammer or claw toe
Both are planned operations for a problem that has built up over time.
Assessment comes first
Before anything is booked, send a description of your symptoms, photographs of both feet and any X-rays or reports you have. A foot and ankle surgeon will look at how far the toe has moved, whether the joint shows arthritis and how the problem affects your walking. Tell us at the start about diabetes, circulation problems, smoking and any blood thinners, because all of these affect healing in the foot.
Planning the trip from South Africa
- Flights: direct flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Istanbul take around ten hours, followed by a short domestic flight to İzmir
- Visa: South Africans apply for an e-Visa online before travelling
- Walking: after foot surgery you walk in a special post-operative shoe or boot, so ask your airline for wheelchair assistance at the airports and pack light
- Swelling: the foot swells when it hangs down, and a long flight makes this worse; keep it raised when you can and follow the surgeon’s advice on clot prevention
- Fitness to fly: the surgeon decides when you can fly, after checking the wound, so book a return ticket you can change
- Time difference: Turkey is only one hour ahead of South Africa, which makes follow-up calls easy
- Cover: South African medical schemes generally do not cover planned treatment abroad, and standard travel insurance usually excludes it; ask both before you book
Rehabilitation and follow-up at home
Most of the recovery from foot surgery happens after you are home: weeks in the post-operative shoe, a gradual return to normal footwear, and in some cases follow-up X-rays to confirm the bone has healed. Take your operation notes and X-rays home with you, keep your GP informed, and arrange a physiotherapist or podiatrist near you before you travel if the surgeon recommends one. Follow-up continues by photograph, message and video call with the same team. Medical complications arising from the treatment, and any revision that becomes clinically necessary as a result, are covered for one year from the date of treatment by our treatment guarantee. Any such treatment is carried out in İzmir by the treating team; flights and accommodation remain your own responsibility. Facts about the clinic and surgeons are on the clinic facts page, and if something goes wrong you can use our complaints process.
What we will not do
We will not confirm a plan before a surgeon has reviewed your scans and history, we will not promise a result, and we will not operate if your health makes it unsafe. A long journey is not a reason to operate when conservative treatment has not been tried, or to do more in one operation than the surgeon judges safe.
Frequently asked questions
Which foot operations can I have in Turkey?
We arrange bunion correction and toe shortening. The surgeon reviews your photographs, X-rays and symptoms first and will say if non-surgical treatment would be the better option.
Can I have both feet done at the same time?
The surgeon decides. Operating on both feet at once makes walking, and a long flight home, much harder, so many patients have one foot done at a time.
How long after foot surgery can I fly home to South Africa?
The surgeon decides, after checking the wound. Because the flight takes around ten hours and the foot swells when it hangs down, book a return ticket you can change.
Will I be able to walk after foot surgery?
Usually yes, in a special post-operative shoe or boot, but walking is limited at first and you should keep the foot raised as much as possible in the early weeks.
Will my medical aid cover foot surgery in Turkey?
South African medical schemes generally do not cover planned treatment abroad, and standard travel insurance usually excludes it. Ask both specifically before you book.
Start with a free online consultation. Planning the trip? Read the guide for South African patients and the e-Visa guide.