3 mln foreign patients yearly anchor Türkiye as regional health

ISTANBUL

Turkish Health Minister Professor Dr. Kemal Memişoğlu

Türkiye now treats over 3 million foreign patients every year, Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu said on Aug. 16, citing major infrastructure upgrades that have turned the country’s health care system into a regional benchmark.

“Neighboring countries try to take our health services as an example, asking us for support,” he told a group of reporters in Istanbul.

Detailing Türkiye’s push for self-reliance in health technology, Memişoğlu announced plans for eight domestic vaccines, targeting contracts for six of them within weeks.

“We will manufacture our own vaccines in Türkiye,” Memişoğlu said, emphasizing that production will go beyond simple packaging to include cultivating the primary master cell line locally.

Authorities identified 45 strategic medical devices for domestic manufacturing, projecting 70 percent of ultrasound machines will be produced locally within two years. Developed in partnership with Turkish defense company ASELSAN, a domestic heart-lung pump has entered clinical use, with mass production scheduled by the end of the year.

The health sector shifted to a risk-based inspection system utilizing artificial intelligence to monitor hospital data, expanding AI applications to mammography and ASELSAN mobile X-ray devices. Scientists concurrently evaluate the country’s human papillomavirus and cancer profile while reviewing foreign spinal muscular atrophy drugs.

To support growing demand and address an aging population, the ministry integrated home, remote and palliative services under a new command center. The number of family physicians nationwide rose from 25,000 to 31,000, allowing patients to obtain prescriptions directly.

Over the last two decades, Istanbul constructed 79 massive hospitals, establishing a strong foundation that solidified Türkiye’s role as a leading international hub for specialized medical tourism.