Both the medical device market and the rehab markets are dominated by imports (85%). Most of the local production is focused on wheelchairs and simple mechanic products. There are very few manufacturers on the market and much less who are focused on children only. The market is divided between the very low end (paid by the government) and the very high end (paid out of pocket) products. 

Rehab

There are approximately 12 million disabled people in Turkey, which accounts for about 12, 2% of the population. The proportion of orthopedically, seeing, hearing, speaking and mentally disabled people is 2.58 % and the proportion of people having chronic illnesses is 9.70 %. The support from the government is limited yet increasing and expect to grow further with the reform underway. 

Medical devices

The market is dominated (85%) by imports and the volume of imports is around 1,8 billion $. The share of cheap imports from the Far East is increasing). There are approximately 300.000 types of medical devices and 1.832.830 registered medical devices available on the market. There are 2100 local manufacturers, 3100 importers and 3000 dealers registered at the Ministry of Health database.

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The purchases are conducted by the national public body (for public hospitals) and by private hospitals individually in each city. Foreign companies have to have a local dealer/distributor in order to sell devices on the market. No market entry is granted if there is no local registered company as the main contact for the Ministry of Health.

The Turkish medical devices and supplies industry is a fast developing sector with recent investments in most fields. Most of the companies in the medical devices and supplies industry are located in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Samsun.

Growing demand

Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals in Turkey compound an annual growth of 8.68% through 2013. By the end of 2014, healthcare spending is forecasted to be USD 7,160 billion representing 9.6 percent of global GDP. With the improvement in living standards, patients will be more demanding for the quality of the care given. There is a large demand for medical imagery, laboratory and operating block equipment.

Prices of pharmaceutical products in Turkey are regulated and controlled by the Turkish Ministry of Health who has introduced some large price cuts lately (up to 50%), affecting both local and foreign manufactures.

The development of private hospitals, clinics, health centers has shown significant growth in Turkey, particularly for plastic and cosmetic surgery, orthopedics, and ophthalmology.

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