USHAŞ (,

acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...

: ''Uluslararası Sağlık Hizmetleri Anonim Şirketi, International Health Services Inc.''), USHAŞ A.Ş. is a Turkish state owned healthcare company headquartered in Ankara, Turkey. The company was established in 2019 by Turkish Ministry of Health with the

decree-law A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary l ...

number 663 to promote and regulate

medical tourism Medical tourism is the practice of traveling abroad to obtain medical treatment. In the past, this usually referred to those who traveled from less-developed countries to major medical centers in highly developed countries for treatment unavaila ...

in Turkey.

Info

The company could be seem as the equivalent of the institutions established by the different states worldwide to develop health tourism such as; Korea Health Industry Development Institute in South Korea,

Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) was established by the Ministry of Health (Malaysia), Malaysian Ministry of Health in 2005. MHTC is responsible in advocating for the medical tourism industry in Malaysia. In 2011, MHTC was incorporated ...

in Malaysia and

Dubai Health Authority The Dubai Health Authority () is a government organization overseeing the health system of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Background The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) was formed in 2007 under the directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktou ...

in United Arab Emirates. Morevover, USHAŞ signs cooperation agreements with the governments or state owned companies to expand medical trade and cooperation mutually. USHAŞ's establishment was cited as Turkey's most powerful government entrepreneurship step in medical tourism area. According to establishment law, the most important duties of USHAŞ are; * Promote Turkey's health system in international area * Carry out intermediary activities on behalf of both public and private hospitals * Take initiatives for the resolution of complaints and disputes and to take preventive measures * Carry out activities for healthcare education * Provide consultancy on PPP models, health systems and financing and to share Turkey's experiences in coordination with Ministry of Health * Open and operate health institutions abroad * Supply medicines, medical devices and consumables.

Fight against COVID-19

USHAŞ also made an important contribution to Turkey's fight against

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

with its fast purchasing and supplying processes at the beginning of pandemic, when protective materials were scarce and their prices were very high. The company became the financier of Biyovent ICU Ventilator, which is the Turkey's first domestic and national medical device, and played a very important role in the commercialization of this device. The company became the top exporter in Turkey, in the medical device category in 2020, with its turnover mainly consisting of the sales revenues of the ventilator. The role of USHAŞ in the fight against COVID-19 and its contribution to the capacity building in critical products such as

personal protective equipment Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, elect ...

s, diagnostic kits and

ventilator A ventilator is a type of breathing apparatus, a class of medical technology that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathi ...

s has been shown by

UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

as a role model for less-developed countries. During the first wave of COVID-19 pandemics Turkey helped the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

by donating 250,000 pieces of personal protective equipment via USHAŞ.

References

{{reflist Government-owned companies of Turkey