Turkey to produce local healthcare equipments: Erdoğan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday domestic production in the health sector is as important as in the defense sector.

"Turkey needs a rapid nationalization, localization in the health sector," said Erdoğan, speaking at the academic year opening ceremony of the University of Health Sciences in Ankara.

Erdoğan said Turkey should produce its own tomography, ultrasonography and MRI machines, adding that the country has the human capital for this.

"Now we invite [leading] companies from the international community for joint production in our country and there are positive approaches," Erdoğan said.

He said localization of the health sector was as "important and critical" as that of the defense sector.

Erdoğan also said that Turkey's city hospitals will help the nation leap forward in health tourism.

He said six city hospitals were opened in six provinces so far and another "huge" one is set to be opened in Bilkent, Ankara in December.

Justice and Development (AK) Party has put great importance on the health sector in 16 years rule of it, Erdoğan said.

The government made the most investment in health sector and yielded the best results, he added.

Erdoğan also said the number of ambulances rose from 618 to 5,000, while 112 emergency health stations increased to 2,668 from 481 during the rule of AK Party.

He added that bed capacities of hospitals and total health sector workers has more than doubled and a total of 231,000 doctors have been staffed over the last 16 years.