Turkey plans to recruit doctors, nurses from Gulf

By Duygu Yener

ANKARA

Turkish hospitals will soon recruit doctors and nurses from the Gulf countries, Health Ministry Undersecretary Eyup Gumus announced on Wednesday.

“Doctors and nurses from the Gulf states will be allowed to work here [at city hospitals],” Gumus told the fourth joint meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council-Turkey Health Working Group in Ankara.

“A part of the newly-built city hospitals is reserved for foreign patients. Doctors and nurses with foreign language skills will work here,” he said.

Turkey’s city hospitals, also known as city hospital complex, offer a modern healthcare environment with a diverse array of high-quality facilities, including five-star hotel accommodations.

Gumus said Turkey and the Gulf states should boost cooperation in the health tourism sector.

Around 80,000 experts out of 120,000 doctors have been providing healthcare services across Turkey, he said, adding that 8,000 of them were highly experienced.

The country’s first city hospital became operational in the southern city of Mersin early February following a grand inauguration ceremony that saw the attendance of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

The Mersin city hospital is one of the largest healthcare complexes in Turkey, with 1,294 beds to serve 10,000 patients per day.

Gumus said Turkey witnessed several significant reforms in the health sector in the past 15 years, under the governments of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party.

He said the government will announce the second phase of its health reforms in the coming months, adding Turkey would also produce medicine through joint ventures with overseas companies.

Reporting by Duygu Yener; Writing by Sorwar Alam