Overview of Medical Imaging Market in Turkey, Forecast to 2021

This study examines the Turkish medical imaging market. Healthcare reforms focusing on oncology and cardiology as the priority areas has resulted in 80% of medical imaging equipment being purchased by the government. Frost & Sullivan estimates that revenue for computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound (USG) will reach $185.4 million by 2021. At the end of 2017, 65% of the installed base is in public facilities.

Four manufacturers control approximately 80% of the market. Siemens Healthineers consistently has been the market leader in the CT and MRI spaces for the last 5 years; GE Healthcare is dominant in the USG space but has a significant presence in the other two markets as well.

Turkey’s Health Transformation Program was launched in 2003 with the objective of achieving efficient, productive, and equitable organization of resources in the healthcare system. Services significantly improved under the program, which is reflected in improved health outcomes and increased health utilization rates, as well as attraction of more health financing. Universal health coverage was established by amalgamating enrollees under a single scheme, making health services accessible to all through a single package of benefits. During this period, the government implemented a family medicine system and integrated it with all public hospitals.

As part of the program and to be able to achieve the required number of hospital beds and space, as well as to update infrastructure, Turkey launched its Integrated Health Campuses Program in 2007. This focused private sector support mainly in specialized areas such as women and children’s health, oncology, cardiology, and rehabilitation.

Taking health requirements, geography, patient flow, accessibility, and socioeconomic structure of the country into consideration, the Ministry of Health identified 29 health regions in which to build huge self-efficient health complexes with 1,000 to 3,500 beds, research and development units, high technology centers, social living areas, institutes of medical sciences, and broad recreation sites by the end of 2023.

Public-private partnerships have become a means to improve healthcare quality, with 27 campus projects planned or under construction in 24 cities that will add 40,000 beds. This presents additional opportunities for global medical imaging equipment manufacturers. The country's private hospital industry is also well developed with a premium client base. The number of private hospitals has doubled in the past decade; 46 are Joint Commission International (JCI)-certified, attracting more medical tourists from Europe and the Middle East for high-quality healthcare services at lower prices.

A government objective to increase the country’s skill sets and knowledge base in order to manufacture medical devices and equipment domestically includes procurement guarantees for products that are partially or wholly manufactured in the country.