Moving towards to industrial integration, Egypt and Turkey have intensified technical negotiations to establish the ambitious “Capital Medical City” as the Middle East’s premier healthcare hub.
Following Thursday’s high-level summit between Health Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar and a senior Turkish delegation, the project has been elevated to a “national priority,” designed to merge Turkish management expertise with Egyptian clinical scale .
Egypt’s Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar met a senior Turkish delegation in the New Capital on Thursday to review progress on the “Capital Medical City” project, which officials say is intended to become a regional hub for advanced healthcare, research, and medical training.
The meeting was held at the Ministry of Health and Population headquarters following Abdel-Ghaffar’s earlier talks with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, the health ministry said in a statement.
Abdel-Ghaffar said the project enjoys direct backing from Egypt’s political leadership and represents a “qualitative leap” in specialized medical care, multidisciplinary scientific research, and high-level professional training.
He added that the project is among the ministry’s top priorities for overhauling the healthcare system nationwide.
Health Ministry Spokesman Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar said the project is built around several pillars, including upgrading treatment services, strengthening clinical and academic training, establishing a specialized research centre capable of delivering world-class studies, and meeting growing healthcare demand in line with Egypt’s national health strategy.
He added that the project also aims to boost health-sector investment by developing medical and training tourism in Egypt.
The spokesman highlighted significant progress in Egyptian-Turkish cooperation in the health sector. He stated that both sides aim to establish a regional model for health security through the exchange of expertise and by leveraging Turkey’s experience in managing large medical cities and public–private partnership models.
The meeting comes as preparations are underway for the planned visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Egypt in the first quarter of 2026. Media reports suggest the visit can take place in February.
Turkey is among the largest foreign investors in Egypt. Turkish investments exceed $3 billion across more than 1,500 companies.
These companies operate mainly in manufacturing sectors such as textiles, ready-made garments, home appliances, chemicals, and automotive components, according to figures repeatedly cited by Egyptian and Turkish officials.
Turkish firms are concentrated in major industrial zones, including 10th of Ramadan City, 6th of October City, and Borg El Arab.
Economic ties have gained momentum since relations moved toward rapprochement in 2023. They were significantly reinvigorated in 2024 with a reciprocal sequence of high-level visits. These included Turkish President Erdoğan’s visit to Cairo in February 2024 and President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi’s visit to Ankara in September 2024.
The rapprochement has been marked by high-level political consultations, foreign minister exchanges, and the reactivation of institutional dialogue mechanisms to expand trade, encourage new investment, and address business-related obstacles.
The two countries aim to raise bilateral trade from $9 billion to $15 billion.
Political coordination has also intensified ahead of the next session of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty met in Ankara in November with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, during a meeting of the Egypt–Turkey Joint Planning Group.
On 14 February 2024, the presidents of both countries signed a joint declaration establishing the mechanism to prepare for council meetings and coordinate bilateral engagement.
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