Respiratory training in Turkey

Abstract

In Turkey, respiratory medicine is counted as a separate speciality rather than a subspeciality of internal medicine like in most countries. As there is a growing trend of medical speciality preferences to side with having the minimum number of night shifts, less intervention and low risk of malpractice, it would not be hard to infer that respiratory medicine is not among the most popular specialities in Turkey. However, it is widely preferred by graduates seeking a specific branch of internal medicine as well as willing to gain experience in intensive care units besides performing certain interventions. The training, which lasts approximately 4–5 years, takes place either in training and research hospitals (which are affiliated with the Ministry of Health) or in state or private university hospitals. Among training and research hospitals in big cities, some serve specifically as chest diseases hospitals and are also important referral centres. However, speciality-specific hospitals are not valid for most specialities. The establishment of chest diseases hospitals is largely associated with high incidence rates of tuberculosis in Turkey in the early 1900s. Therefore, they are still the most experienced centres in managing complicated cases of tuberculosis. Tuberculosis also accounts for chest diseases being a separate speciality of its own, as well as chest physicians officially being given the title of “chest diseases and tuberculosis specialist”, in Turkey. Likewise, some chest departments in old university hospitals can be seen in separate buildings apart from the main building, so that patients with tuberculosis could be isolated and treated with special care. As a result of the invention of anti-tuberculosis treatment as well as vaccination strategies, a dramatic decrease in the frequency of tuberculosis occurred in the following years. However, unfortunately, respiratory medicine has never lost its popularity among patients, especially due to the consequences of biomass fuel exposure and the common consumption of tobacco in Turkey. Hence, the intense daily work routine can be challenging for chest specialists as well as residents, and requires dedication.