(Bloomberg) --

The owners of a Turkish medical IT provider are in talks to sell a majority stake or all of the business as the coronavirus pandemic increases health-care needs globally, according to people with knowledge of the plans.

Fonet Bilgi Teknolojileri AS, an Ankara-based provider of software and IT solutions to hospitals, is working with an adviser on the plans, the people said, asking not to be identified because the plans aren’t public. Fonet is in early talks with potential international suitors, including two possible Italian bidders, some of the people said. Discussions are preliminary and may not result in a deal, they said.

A representative for Fonet, which is majority owned by Turkey’s Gazen family, declined to comment.

Fonet shares rose as much as 9.2% to 11.65 liras in Istanbul, the highest level since Jan. 27, reversing an earlier decline of as much as 1.8%. The stock has surged 151% since March 17, shortly after Turkey reported the first coronavirus casualties, compared with a 26% rise in the main Borsa Istanbul.

The company provides IT services to more than 180 hospitals in Turkey, or to more than 10% of the nation’s 230,000 beds. Its services allow hospitals to share real-time information on patients, treatments, laboratory data, and other areas. The company recently opened an office in Stockholm.

(Updates to add share price in fourth paragraph.)

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