Having spent over 40 years in the profession, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, penned a letter regarding the ongoing discussions concerning physicians who tend to go abroad in recent times. On the occasion of March 14 Doctors' Day, in the letter titled ‘An Open Letter to My Esteemed Colleagues and Aspiring Physicians,’ Tarhan, stating ‘Physicians shouldn’t pack up and leave, they should pack up and stay,’ delivers important messages to physicians and medical faculty students.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan's sincere March 14 letter to his colleagues and aspiring physicians…
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated the following in his message, which began with “An open letter to my esteemed colleagues and aspiring physicians”:
Physicians shouldn't take it personally and shouldn't get upset. Why?
“March 14 Doctors' Day is a somber occasion in 2022. Things are happening that have never occurred in our civilization's history. Healthcare providers, especially physicians, have been heavily criticized and mistreated in recent years. The discussion of physician prestige was also important in the individual letter, which I believe to be meaningful and valuable, sent to physicians by our Minister of Health, Dr. Fahrettin Koca. Violence in healthcare is above average, both by administrations and a segment of the public. There are various reasons. From what I observe, only a very small portion of these originate from physicians. Medicine is a profession with high accountability; it is also my responsibility that my colleagues do not make mistakes and are correctly recognized. I said, “This pen must write.” Please, no one should personalize this issue.”
Firstly; is there a distortion of perception through doctors?
In his letter, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, who called on “physicians and aspiring physicians not to go abroad despite all difficult conditions,” said: “The term ‘whipping boy’ is used for individuals chosen from a lower social class who were beaten in place of princes, princesses, or royal heirs when they made mistakes in monarchies like England. Thus, royal children would see this and correct their behavior. It's a type of perception management. In fact, the person who was Charles I's whipping boy in the 1600s was later appointed as a governor, becoming a friend of the prince. Populist administrations also need cultural layers in the form of a whipping boy for the government.”
Physicians shouldn't pack up and leave, they should pack up and stay
This is done for the satisfaction of the crowds. Physician colleagues and aspiring physicians should not get upset and attempt to go abroad. As healthcare professional organizations also called for, ‘They shouldn't pack up and leave, they should pack up and stay.’ As long as the door of democracy is open, remedies are inexhaustible. Opponents of democracy therefore call democratic administrations 'popular populism' and consider a coup as a solution. Our democracy is being tested; the patient will win. Physicians have begun to become victims and oppressed; they are tired and scared of compensation lawsuits. Our people and the administration see this; it is important for the righteous person not to make a mistake and fall into an unjust situation,” he said.
Secondly; are doctors greedy?
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan continued his letter by saying:
“In their education, physicians receive both professional ethics and medical ethics courses. In these courses, the primary importance and priority taught is the patient's best interest. The fee received, financial gain, and personal comfort remain secondary or even tertiary. Thankfully, our physicians, despite everything, largely adhere to this rule. If there are physicians who sell their profession for financial gain, they are already isolated by other physicians and ethics committees. Medical chambers and the pandemic period are witnesses to this effort.”
Thirdly; how is institutional loyalty preserved?
Studies on institutional loyalty have shown that there are three important values in individuals' commitment to institutions. You can generalize this to family and national values as well.
1-Loving their job, i.e., the level of professional satisfaction.
2-Feeling secure about their future, i.e., the level of future anxiety.
3-The salary they receive.
Those who determine health policies should take this information into account.
Fourthly; insufficient time allocated to patients and inadequate information
For this, state hospitals already have a central appointment system. Appointment durations are set online at 10-15 minute intervals. 50-60 appointments per day. What determines the quality of treatment is the transfer of the physician's knowledge set to the patient; this informing is not possible within this timeframe. Private hospitals can only compensate for this by seeing 8-10 patients a day. This is the biggest reason for anger among patients. Here, too, there is no fault of the physician. Everyone should put their hand on their conscience and consider the matter this way.
Productive discussions are those with good intentions…
Let's view with this perspective the tendency of physicians to look abroad, and medical faculty final year students, i.e., aspiring physicians, starting to learn the languages of countries that accept brain drain instead of preparing for the TUS exam.
Research shows that the most damaging factor to physicians' institutional loyalty is violence in healthcare. I can provide these research results to anyone interested. I hope I have expressed my concerns correctly. No one wins from tense discussions and language of anger; productive discussions are always those with good intentions, ending with compassion and courtesy.
Despite everything, be at ease for having this profession, which the vast majority of society wants their children to pursue; let your honor not be tarnished, this profession is resilient to crises.
Happy Doctors' Day. March 14, 2022”