The 6th Ordinary General Assembly of the OSTİM Medical Industry Cluster was held in the OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone Conference Hall.
The General Assembly was attended by OSTİM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın, OSTİM Board Vice Chairman Sıtkı Öztuna, OSTİM Technical University Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Serdar Müldür, Başkent University Faculty of Engineering Dean Prof. Dr. Berna Dengiz, President of the Turkish Chambers of Commerce and Industry (TOBB) Medical Council Levent Mete Özgürbüz, Head of the Medical Devices Sectoral Services Department of the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (TİTCK) of the Ministry of Health Servet Sarıhan, OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone Regional Manager Adem Arıcı, Gazi University Technical Sciences OSTİM Vocational School Director Assoc. Dr. Alpay Özer, and cluster members.
Members have the opportunity to be on the ethics committee at MDR
Fatin Dağçınar, Chairman of the Board of Directors of OSTİM Medical Industry Cluster, noted that the cluster, established in 2007, has successfully fulfilled its responsibilities to date.
Providing information about the period of work, Dağçınar said, “Together with three clusters in Turkey, we established the Turkish Health Industries Cluster. With these clusters, we started to make our voice heard better. We carried out more than 500 activities in 19 months.
The trainings, symposiums, meetings with stakeholders, discussions addressing industry issues, and meetings with TİTCK and industry stakeholders regarding the MDR process that companies need have begun to yield results. With the contributions of TİTCK, an agreement was reached with the Bilkent City Hospital Ethics Committee No. 2, creating an opportunity for our members' products to undergo medical evaluation within the framework of MDR. Our members have begun to receive this service.”
Reminding that MDR has been postponed to 2027-2028, Dağçınar stated: “We must carry out the work that we truly need during this period. Otherwise, we all know that we will experience very serious problems. Due to the significant increase in costs in MDR, some companies will stop producing certain product lines. When these stop, our patients will unfortunately either have to buy these products from abroad at exorbitant prices or they will be unavailable. We emphasize that this needs to be corrected as soon as possible and that the support our companies need should be increased.”
Medical ecosystem is being planned
The cluster, which has been working for a long time on the specialized Organized Industrial Zone for Medical Industry Manufacturers, has made significant progress in cooperation with universities, public institutions, and stakeholders. Providing information about the process, Dağçınar said, “Since the first day we took office, we have been working with OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone on the Medical Specialized Organized Industrial Zone. We are planning an ecosystem that includes not only companies but also some universities and training and research hospitals, offices of approved organizations, and testing and accredited laboratories.”
Fatin Dağçınar, explaining that they have started the 4th UR-GE project supported by the Turkish Ministry of Trade to improve the international competitiveness of companies, stated, "We have more than 30 companies. It continues as the most comprehensive and in-depth project of the UR-GE projects we have carried out to date."
Dağçınar thanked all cluster members who selflessly worked to meet the needs of the earthquake-stricken regions with their products and services after the February 6 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes.
“Non-member companies also need to be part of the cluster”
OSTİM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın stated that they were pleased to host the OSTİM Medical Industry Cluster. Aydın said, “We are working to improve the competitiveness of companies through cooperation and synergy with our clusters. I believe that companies that are not members of this cluster also need it. It is necessary to reach out to all domestic and national producers operating in the sector in Ankara and invite them to become members of the cluster.”
“OSTİM always makes its support felt”
Associate Professor Alpay Özer, Director of Gazi University Technical Sciences OSTİM Vocational School, explained that they provide education that meets the expectations of the business world with their training programs. Expressing the advantages of being located in OSTİM, Özer said, "The OSTİM management always makes their support felt, we thank them."
It trains qualified human resources for production and capital management.
OSTİM Technical University Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Serdar Müldür emphasized the need for qualified human resources for the management of production and capital. Müldür stated: “Our university is training this qualified human resource. Our students receive practical training within the industry from their first and second years. While transferring what they learn in academia to the industry, they also contribute to the curriculum by bringing developments in the industry to the school.”
“More successful work can be achieved through greater collaboration”
Prof. Dr. Berna Dengiz, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Başkent University, emphasized the importance of the cluster and the sector. Dengiz stated, “I have been working more closely with the Medical Industry Cluster by serving on its Board of Directors. Turkey has a great need for this sector. The deficit arising from this sector also constitutes a significant part of the country's current account deficit. We can achieve more successful results through greater collaboration.”
“The world is waiting for our support to protect global health”
Levent Mete Özgürbüz, Chairman of the TOBB Medical Council, thanked the OSTİM Medical Industry Cluster for its contributions to the sector and domestic production in the healthcare sector. Özgürbüz said, “There is no continent where our cluster members do not export. What is important is value-added export. We need a value-added medical industry for the development of our country.”
Özgürbüz emphasized that it is impossible to survive without medical devices, stating, "The earthquake and the pandemic have shown this. The medical industry has gone beyond being merely strategic."
Highlighting the role of using local products in development, the experienced President said, “We are obliged to export. We are obliged to export for the development of the earthquake region. Exporting is not a choice, it is a duty. It contributes greatly to the country both economically and strategically.”
Highlighting the emerging opportunities in East Asia and Southeast Asia, Özgürbüz pointed out the need for sustained efforts in these regions, stating, "Not only our country but the whole world is expecting support from us for the protection of health."
The group general assembly will be held every 3 years.
At the meeting, where OSTİM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın was unanimously elected as the Chairperson, Cluster Coordinator Nilsu Bozdemir read out the activities and income-expenditure accounts for the period September 2021 - May 2023. Bozdemir also shared the program for the 2023-2026 work period.
Behzat Zeydan, Chairman of the Cluster Supervisory Board, read the supervisory board report. Zeydan stated that the board had worked harmoniously and efficiently throughout the term, and thanked the cluster management.
Following the discussions, the activity report, income and expenditure accounts, audit committee report, and the work plan for the new term were unanimously approved.
With the amendment to the bylaws made at the General Assembly, it was unanimously accepted that the general assemblies, which are held every two years, will be held every three years.
New management elected
In the election held to determine the Cluster Management and Supervisory Boards for the 2023-2026 period, the Management Board was formed with the following names: Fatin Dağçınar (Hodjatech), Mehmet Aydıngün (TMS), Veysel Ersun Nasırlıoğlu (Geotek), Turabi Ünal (Fizyomed), Yılmaz Salık (Mixta), Ali Kuleoğlu (Bioanalyse), Banu Deniz Acar (Medispo), A. Begüm Buğdaycı (Kobay), and Aysu Öztürk (Medster). The Supervisory Board members elected were: Pervin Akarsu (Akmeda), Prof. Dr. Berna Dengiz (DND Teknoloji), and Gülşah Sönmez (Bome).
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