Studies on rare diseases require interdisciplinary collaboration, as is recognized. This collaboration is not just in the research community. It affects a variety of social layers. Only a few of these layers include patients, patient family, numerous associations and non-governmental organizations, social scientists, healthcare professionals, social security institutions, political decision-makers, pharmaceutical companies, academics, etc. Despite the fact that this is the case, since the study's focus is on 'illness,' health professionals generally working in the medical field and doctors in particular serve as the primary contractors. Medicine Day, observed on March 14 each year as a day honoring all members of the medical profession, particularly physicians, is recognized as a significant occasion whose significance should be understood by anybody with an interest in rare diseases.
One of the most urgent and important requirements of the army, which took the name Asâkir-i Mansûre-i Muhammediyye, which was established during the reign of Mahmud II (1808-1839), which was a period when the renewal activities of the Ottoman Empire were experienced the fastest, after the abolition of the Janissary Quarry (1826). On March 14, 1827, Hekimbaşı Behçet Mustafa Efendi initiated the establishment of the first modern medical school for this reason. In this first example, the period of the education was set at four years, and the first students were chosen among those who had attended the military school. According to the date of founding, March 14 is celebrated as Medicine Day in our nation. The first celebration was hosted in Istanbul, which was under occupation. The first Turkish medical classes began at the Yıldırım Darüşşifa in Bursa on May 12, which was observed as Medicine Day in Republic, Turkey, between 1929 and 1937. However, this decision was later abandoned and the date of March 14 was accepted as it is today.
Many parts of the world observe similar celebrations. As an example, ‘National Physician Day’ has been celebrated regularly on March 30 since 1933, compared to March 30, 1842, the date anesthesia was first used during an operation in the United States. While the celebrations are more widely observed in our country and include all workers, celebrations are frequently observed elsewhere as days that are only for doctors.
Our country has a higher likelihood of inheriting uncommon illnesses than Western societies due to the comparatively high proportion of consanguineous marriage. The normal doctor in Turkey see more people with rare diseases than his Western colleagues do. This leads to an increase in the experience of our country's doctor and their awareness of the subject is higher than their colleagues on a global scale. The biggest challenge for a person with a rare disease is not being able to receive the proper diagnosis at the right time. This is a fact that is in front of us. There are a number of contributing causes to the disorder, the lack of enough doctors who specialize in rare diseases is the most significant one. We are about to approach the second century of the Republic, hopes are growing that this issue will be solved at this time. With the increasing number of Rare Disease associations and their collaborations, some practices carried out by political decision makers can be given as examples. Again, as is nown, many scientific activities undertaken on national or global platforms (workshop, seminar, symposium, congress, etc.) Rare diseases are thought of as a panel topic in and of itself, and interested parties can be informed in this way. Doctors have the highest specific gravity of any of these stakeholders. It is more crucial than ever for competent doctors to pass on their expertise to future generations based on the master-apprentice model, particularly in diagnostic procedures.
It is obvious that doctors should concentrate on the topic as they are the professional group that deals with rare diseases the most frequently. The activities surrounding 14 March Medicine Day should be viewed in this perspective as a good forum for enlightening and increasing the knowledge of the interlocutors.
Happy 14 March Medicine Day to all of the medical workers. As we look forward to healthier and more peaceful times, when patients with rare diseases are successfully diagnosed, treated, and followed up on, we can see that society as a whole is becoming more and more knowledgeable about this issue.
Emrah Yücesan Ph.D.- Assoc. Prof.
Istanbul University- Cerrahpaşa Institute of Neurological Sciences, Department of Neurogenetics
References
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