Ondokuz Mayıs University celebrated 14 March Doctor’s Day with ceremonies.
The event, which was held in the scope of the 119th year of the 14 March Doctor’s Day, started with the leaving a wreath on the Atatürk Monument in the city center by the OMU Faculty of Medicine Deanship and academicians.
The event held at the OMU Faculty of Medicine Pink Hall and organized through the cooperation of the Deanship and Samsun Chamber of Medicine was attended by Samsun Governor Osman Kaymak, OMU Deputy Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kuran, Samsun Bar President Lawyer Kerami Gürbüz, Samsun Provincial Police Chief Vedat Yavuz, OMU Faculty of Medicine Dean Prof. Dr. Ayhan Dağdemir, Faculty of Medicine Chief Physician Prof. Dr. Recep Sancak, Samsun Provincial Health Director Yusuf Güney, Samsun Chamber of Medicine Head Dr. Murat Erkan, representatives of state institutions and organizations, academicians and students.
Before the ceremony, the audience stood a one minute's silence to commemorate Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and our martyrs and sang the national anthem.
The first speech of the ceremony was given by Intern Physicist Naci Kılıçaslan in the name of the students of the Faculty of Medicine. Kılıçaslan celebrated the 14 March Doctor's Day and narrated the meaning and importance of the day saying "It is a great honor to be here in this hall and celebrate this day as a medical student. We, Turkish physicists, are always ready for duty to protect the indivisible integrity and wellness of this Turkish land where the blue sky is ornamented with crimson flags."
Taking the stage afterward, The Head of the Turkish Chamber of Medicine Dr. Murat Erkan put emphasis on the importance and vitality of the profession saying "We are doctors and serve humankind whoever and life equally without discrimination of language, religion, color, gender or political view wherever needed. The oath we took is a sacred seal on our conscience which retains its freshness as ever." Reminding the words of Atatürk "Entrust me to Turkish doctors", the Head Erkan continued "Atatürk uttered these words with his trust in Turkish physicists but also emphasizing the solidarity and trust we should have among ourselves."
The Faculty of Medicine Dean Prof. Dr. Ayhan Dağdemir shared information about the history of education in the Ottoman Empire, Turkey and world and the physicists and institutions leading the field. He also pointed out that medical training is one of the fields where Turkey has a good place in the world and continued "Nobel price winner Mithat Sancar is a graduate of İstanbul Faculty of Medicine. Besides having adapted a learner-centered educational approach, our educational program has been accredited by the National Medicine Training Accreditation Board in 2012, which will be valid until 2024.
Dean Dağdemir pointed out that Turkey made various leaps forward for health tourism and said: "We did as well integrate study areas such as health tourism and medical innovation to our medical training and will continue to do such changes to catch the day."
At the beginning of their speech, deputy Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kuran delivered the 14 March Doctor's Day celebration message of Rector Prof. Dr. Sait Bilgiç, who was abroad to develop the international collaborations of the University. Deputy Rector Kuran pointed out that health workers conducted a profession most sacred and valuable and mentioned the importance of raising the competency and skills in solving the problems of the field and health workers' intervention.
Stating that while in some countries it impossible for patients to reach the faculties of medicine could easily do so in Turkey, Deputy Rector Kuran continued: "The health service provided in Turkey is in fact quite good in this scope. For instance, to give an example from our university; As OMU, we have an income of over 1 million dollars in service export in the field of education. We also have an income of about 1 million dollars in health export, which we don't mention very often, and this catches the eye as a serious service."
“Investment s in the field of health should be converted to technology and product”
Prof. Dr. Kuran said they believed that the problems in the field of health faced in Turkey will be solved in due time and added: "Turkey spends serious money in the health sector, but can't get its result in R&D and innovation. I believe we can solve this problem by raising the number of academicians who do Ph.D. in medicine, not only of those doing specialty. It is of utmost importance for our country to convert investments in the field of health to product and technology. If we want to be among the top 10 great economies of the world by 2023, we have to find the way to achieve this not only in the fields of defense industry and etc. but also medicine."
At the end of their speech, Kuran celebrated the Doctor's Day of all the health workers who devotedly provided health services to the country and international society.
At the end of the ceremony, physicists of 30, 40 and 50 years were honored with plaques by the protocol.
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