Izmir Health Free Zone Workshop All Set To Take Place On January 8

WNAM REPORT: On Wednesday, January 8, 2025, the “Izmir Health Free Zone Workshop” will be held at the Nizami-i Ganjavi Hall of Izmir Katip Çelebi University, Çiğli Campus. In addition to scientists,
the workshop will host regional MPs, public administrators, representatives from the health
sector, business community, investors, professional chambers, researchers, and other
stakeholders.
The Chairman of the Project Initiative Group, Gerontologist Dr. Kemal Aydın, stated that this
project has the potential to make Izmir a global brand in health tourism.
The Turkish SASEB (Health Free Zone) project, first introduced in 2010, attracted significant
public interest and remained on the health sector’s agenda for many years. However, the
project was halted due to changes in ministers and senior bureaucrats at the time. Efforts to
revive the project have been initiated in nearly 10 provinces, including Izmir, Bursa, Istanbul,
Ankara, Adana, and Antalya, but none of these attempts have been sufficient to realize the
Turkish SASEB project. Nonetheless, the interest of both the health sector and investors in the
project has persisted.
In 2023, an academic study conducted at Istanbul Gedik University by the prominent Turkish
scientist Dr. Cemal YILMAZ, examined whether there was a need for a Health Free Zone, and
if so, the characteristics and expected benefits of the Turkish SASEB project. The majority of
respondents (59%) indicated that there is a need for a SASEB in Turkey. Furthermore, the study
revealed that the implementation of a SASEB could increase the number of health tourists
coming to Turkey and health tourism revenues by 44.8%. Participants identified Izmir (88.4%)
as the second most suitable city for the SASEB project after Istanbul (89.6%). The workshop
will discuss whether such a project is needed in Izmir and, if so, explore details such as
location, timeline, and other factors.
The World’s First Health Free Zone: Dubai Healthcare City
Dubai Healthcare City, established in 2002 by the Emir of Dubai, holds the distinction of
being the first Health Free Zone in the world. In subsequent years, Lecheng Hope City was
founded on Hainan Island in China, followed by projects launched or under construction in
South Korea, Indonesia, and Nigeria.
The workshop is organized by the Ibn Sina Institute and the World Aging Council, which have
been developing national and international projects in health, care, longevity, aging, and
elderly-related topics for the past 25 years.