1. Brief Assessment on Medical Education in Turkey Dr
Brief Assessment on Medical Education in Turkey Dr. Bayazıt İlhan Immediate Past President Turkish Medical Association
September 24th, 2016
KOS

2. Medical Education in Turkey
Faculties of medicine
State
Foundations
6 years of education
3 years basic sciences and theoretical lectures
2 years practical training combined with theoretical lectures
1 year internship

3. Medical Education in Turkey
Despite distortions in health environment and medical education
Medical faculties are among the most preferred
Still high quality medical education in eminent medical schools
TMA follows quality of medical education closely

4. Leading problems
Launching new schools of medicine without due consideration of necessary infrastructure and human resources
Increasing the quotas of present schools
93 medical schools
Main argument: “not enough physicians”
*Country with the highest rate of launching new medical schools within the last 10 years
*Number of medical schools per population above OECD average

5. Medical schools and students
Number of medical schools
Number of medical students
2002 44
31,710
2015 93
>60,000

6. New medical schools Shortage of faculty members
No academic staff in some basic and clinical sciences
Lacking anatomy and physiology laboratories or libraries
A medical school with graduates who have never had any training course in paediatrics!

7. Ministry of Health reports
Number of medical students more than necessary
Total annual student quota should reduce to 5,250 from 12,000 within 2 years
Two problems TMA kept warning
Low quality medical education
Danger of unemployment of medical doctors

8. TMA efforts for quality medical education
Contributions for accreditation of education programmes
A member of the National Medical Education Accreditation Board (NMEAB) established in 2008
recognized by the YÖK (Higher Education Board) and the World Federation for Medical Education
granted accreditation to only 22 programmes

9. Marketization of health
Direct effects on medical education
Number of hospital admissions induced by demand
3 in 2002
8,3 in 2015
Some doctors examine more than 100 patients a day
Medical education in a market-oriented health environment where patients have become customers
“performance based remuneration scheme”
faculty members are driven farther from education and research to service delivery

10. Problems on determination of faculty members
Nepotism and political intervention in the posting and promotion of faculty members
TMA has been drawing attention for years as detrimental to the scientific foundation of medicine
more apparent with operations conducted after the recent coup attempt
a vicious circle with current practices such as seizure of schools, dismissals, suspensions and postings
Solution: Taking scientific and secular education as basis and sticking to merits in academic promotions.

11. Post Graduate Medical Education
By university and Ministry of Health (MoH) education and research hospitals
A dynamic working area of the Turkish Medical Association (TMA).
Medical Specialties’ Coordination Council of the TMA is an umbrella institution of 103 medical specialty associations

12. Challenging circumstances
“Health Sciences University (HSU)”
Totally under the control of MoH
55 education and research hospitals affiliated
Lack of strategic planning in future medical specialty training
High number of institutions which the specialty training is given
Lack of standardization among institutions
Lack of qualified personnel
Lack of technical infrastructure
Lack of regular institutional inspection mechanisms

13. Challenging circumstances
Selection system problems
Problems arising from health system changes
Weakness in “merit” in academic career development system

14. Continuing Medical Education / Continuing Professional Development
TMA’s view: a right and professional responsibility
TMA is the leading organization in this respect
TMA created the Continuing Medical Education Accreditation Board in 1994
Alignment with European and international standards besides local representation

15. CME/CPD
Together with 103 specialty associations, TMA adapted accreditation standards to Turkey in line with principles laid down by the WFME.
For physicians TMA is determined to fulfil its responsibilities together with all relevant parties in improving the quality of CME.