Gathering the professionals of the drug and health industry, the ninth Pharma Power Conference took place yesterday at Sheraton Maslak Hotel in Istanbul. During his opening speech, Professor Eyüp Gümüş, the Secretary of the Health Ministry, said the conference will introduce advantages and make contributions to the drug and health sectors. He said patients can more easily access hospitals thanks to developments in the last 10 years. Turkey's drug budget has increased to TL 21 billion this year from almost TL 7 million in 2002. Drug production has gained momentum in the last 10 years, Gümüş added, before underlining the advances in drug export. "The ratio of drug budget in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 2.4 percent in 2002, but is now 1.5 percent. A higher GDP is important to sustain a balanced drug budget. Turkey wants to bring health tourism opportunities on local and international platforms," he said. New hospitals with a total of 52,000 bed capacity have been built and, within two years, Turkey will have hospitals with 90,000 bed capacity. "The health ministry will gather 59 state hospitals to establish a health science university, which will be a common platform to conduct clinical studies," Gümüş said. Recently, the Directorate of Turkey's Health Institutes was founded in Istanbul and its president will be appointed soon. The directorate will include cancer institutes and biotechnology institutes. Gümüş was given the Pharma Power Award for his contributions. With the participation of over 30 speakers, the conference focused on different subjects such as "2013 Vision of Drug and Health World," "Global Situation of Drug and Health Industry," "Developments in Turkey and the Predictions for 2015," "Successful Management and Leadership in Drug and Health World," and "Advanced Sales Techniques and Practices, the Future of Sales Management."