What is the Hospital Sector?

The hospital sector is a subcategory of the health services sector. Within the health sector, the hospital sector is classified under two main headings: private and public. There are supports provided by the ministries for all hospitals categorized under the private sector.

What are the General Supports for the Hospital Sector?

There are various supports provided for the hospital sector by KOSGEB, TÜBİTAK, and the Ministry of Commerce. The supports provided for the sector are divided into project-based and general supports. Details of the supports provided for the hospital sector are given below.

TÜBİTAK 1501 - Support Program for Industry R&D Projects

Important Note: Hospitals are not an eligible sector to apply to TÜBİTAK, but they can apply as a funding provider/service provider in cooperation with university professors.

Under the 1501-Industry R&D Support Program, projects classified as R&D that are conducted in areas such as the production of a new product, the development and improvement of an existing product, the elevation of product quality or standards, or the development of cost-reducing techniques and new production technologies are supported. The support rate of the program is applied at 75%.

*There is no budget limit.
*Feasibility is required for investments over 5 million.
A) TÜBİTAK - 1507 - SME R&D Startup Support Program Call
The supports provided under the 1501 Industry R&D Support Program aim to support project-based research-technology development activities and innovation activities of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs).

*Applicable for projects up to 1,200,000 TL.

KOSGEB Project-Based Supports

Note: Hospitals cannot benefit from supports originating from their nace codes.

KOSGEB General Supports

Note: Hospitals cannot benefit from supports originating from their nace codes.

Ministry of Commerce Project-Based Supports

Note: Hospitals cannot benefit from supports originating from their nace codes.

Ministry of Commerce General Supports

1. Registration and Protection Support
Expenses for the registration of Products and Services incurred by beneficiaries operating in the sector and expenses for the registration and protection of domestically registered trademarks abroad are supported up to a maximum of 600,000 TL per year at a rate of 60%.

2. Market Entry Document Support
Expenses related to documents, certificates, and accreditations obtained from or processed by institutions/organizations deemed appropriate by the Ministry are supported up to a maximum of 600,000 TL per year at a rate of 60%.

3. Agency Commission Support
Agency commission expenses of healthcare institutions and beneficiaries identified by the Ministry operating in sports tourism are supported at a rate of 60% for a maximum of 5 years, at most 1,200,000 TL annually. Clinics and polyclinics are supported up to 240,000 TL annually, while other institutions and accommodation facilities receive support of up to 1,200,000 TL.

4. Complication and Travel Health Insurance Support
Expenses for complication and travel insurance that beneficiaries operating in the sector will incur for patients arriving in Turkey for treatment from insurance companies located in Turkey are supported at a rate of 70% up to a maximum of 2,400,000 TL annually.

5. Employment Support
Beneficiaries operating in the sector can receive support for the gross salaries of translators, call center personnel, guides, social media specialists, and marketing specialists employed, as well as care personnel and social media experts employed by health tourism beneficiaries, at a rate of 60%, for a maximum of 18,000 TL gross per personnel; up to a maximum of 600,000 TL annually for each clinic and polyclinic, and for other health tourism sector beneficiaries, up to a maximum of 2,400,000 TL annually. This support can be utilized for a maximum of 5 years.

6. Foreign Language and Health Tourism Education Support
Education costs deemed appropriate by the Ministry for the personnel employed by beneficiaries operating in the sector in foreign language and health tourism training are supported at a rate of 60%, up to a maximum of 240,000 TL annually for each clinic and polyclinic and 960,000 TL for each other health tourism beneficiary.

7. Patient Travel Support
The expenses for plane tickets of patients brought to Turkey for treatment who have protocols with the Ministry and health tourism intermediary institutions are supported at a rate of 60% for a maximum of 12,000 TL annually per patient for a maximum of 5 years. This support is up to 600,000 TL annually for clinics and polyclinics and 6,000,000 TL for other health institutions.

8. Advertising, Promotion and Marketing Support
Expenses related to the advertising, promotion, and marketing activities of health institutions and collaborating institutions aimed at abroad are supported at a rate of 60% for beneficiaries and 70% for cooperating institutions for a maximum of 5 years. Clinics and polyclinics receive support of up to 2,400,000 TL annually, while other beneficiaries in the health tourism sector can benefit from up to 6,000,000 TL, and cooperating institutions up to 9,600,000 TL annually. Beneficiaries in the sports tourism sector receive up to 1,200,000 TL annually.

9. Unit Support
Health institutions and collaborating institutions receive support for the gross rent and commission expenditures as well as the document costs related to the opening or operation of up to 25 units for a maximum of 5 years, in each country, at a rate of 60% for beneficiaries and 70% for collaborating institutions, with a maximum of 1,440,000 TL per unit annually. Clinics and polyclinics receive up to 600,000 TL annually per unit in support.

10. Overseas Event Participation Support
Expenses related to participation in overseas events determined by the Ministry in which beneficiaries and collaborating institutions participate individually or at a national level are supported for beneficiaries at a rate of 60% and for cooperating institutions at 70%, and a maximum of 300,000 TL per event, and for a maximum of 3 prestigious events per calendar year determined by the Ministry at a rate of 600,000 TL.

11. National Participation Organization Promotion Support
Promotion expenses related to the national participation events of collaborating institutions and national participation organizers are supported at a rate of 70% and a maximum of 1,440,000 TL per event.

12. Domestic Event Participation Support
Expenses related to the individual participation of beneficiaries and collaborating institutions in domestic events determined by the Ministry are supported at a rate of 60% for beneficiaries and 70% for cooperating institutions, with a maximum of 300,000 TL per event.

13. Domestic Promotion and Training Support
Expenses related to promotional and training programs that beneficiaries operating in the sector organize for the promotion of their facilities and services within the country, with the participation of 5 academicians, experts, press members, experiences, or representatives of sectoral institutions or organizations invited from abroad in one calendar year, are supported at a rate of 60% up to 600,000 TL for beneficiaries and 70% up to 1,200,000 TL for collaborating institutions.

14. Product Placement Support
Expenses for product placements in films, documentaries, series, animation films, and program formats depicted abroad or in digital games are supported at a rate of 60% for a maximum of 1,200,000 TL for beneficiaries, and at a rate of 70% for up to 2,400,000 TL for collaborating institutions for a maximum of 5 years.

15. Sectoral Purchase Delegation and Sectoral Trade Delegation Support
Expenses related to sectoral trade and purchase delegation programs carried out by collaborating institutions in the sector, deemed appropriate by the Ministry, and executed up to 5 times each within a calendar year, are supported at a rate of 70% and up to a maximum of 1,800,000 TL per program.

16. Hiser Project Support
Expenses related to need analysis, training, consultancy, and promotion of HİSER projects deemed appropriate by the Ministry for collaborating institutions operating in the sector are supported at a rate of 75%, with a maximum of 6,000,000 TL per project. The project duration is 3 years.

17. Virtual Fair Organization Support
Expenses related to the organization of virtual fairs carried out by collaborating institutions in the sector deemed appropriate by the Ministry up to 5 times in one calendar year are supported at a rate of 70% and 960,000 TL per activity.

18. Support for Development and Promotion of Health and Sports Tourism Sectors
Expenses for promoting the sectoral internet portal and employing portal call center personnel, market intelligence and subscription expenses for information, and expenses related to facilitating the entry of people visiting our country as health tourists are supported at a rate of 100% for a maximum of 5 years and up to 9,600,000 TL per year.

19. Competition and Event Support
Expenses for one competition and event that collaborating institutions operating in the sector organize and deemed appropriate by the Ministry within a calendar year are supported at a rate of 70% and up to a maximum of 2,400 TL.

Investment Incentives for the Hospital Sector

Who Can Benefit from the Supports for the Hospital Sector?

• Real persons, ordinary partnerships, capital companies, associations, cooperatives, business partnerships,
• Public institutions and organizations,
• Professional organizations and universities that are public institutions,
• Associations and foundations,
• Branches of foreign companies based abroad can benefit from the incentives in Turkey. Additionally, foreign individuals or companies that establish businesses in Turkey can also benefit from the incentives. Companies established or to be established in Turkey with 100% foreign ownership or partially foreign ownership will also benefit from the new incentive system.

What are the Sectors of Institutions that Can Benefit from the Supports for the Hospital Sector?

Private or public sector organizations operating in the fields of health, thermal, and/or care under the permission and supervision of the relevant public institution (Ministry of Health) or university health/care institutions can benefit from the supports.

What are the Minimum Investment Amounts for the Hospital Sector?

• 4 million TL in region 1,
• 3 million TL in region 2,
• 2 million TL in region 3,
• 1,500,000 TL in regions 4, 5, and 6.

The Situation of the Hospital Sector in Turkey and the World

With the Covid-19 pandemic, the hospital sector was affected more than any other sectors in the world. The change in all operations post-pandemic, the growth of the sector due to a global pandemic, and the impact of every detail from work conditions to staff numbers became inevitable. In recent years, supported by the pandemic, the incentives for the hospital sector have increased, beginning a rapid process of change and development.

Leading Companies in the Hospital Sector

Turkey has many private or public hospitals with various experts in different fields. When considering recognition, notable hospitals include Acıbadem Hospital, Istanbul Florence Nightingale Hospital, Koç University Hospital, and Medicalpark Hospital. Globally, notable institutions include Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Cleveland Clinic, Singapore General Hospital in Singapore, Johns Hopkins Hospital in the USA, and Charité in Germany.