Our Mission / Our Vision
 November 2001

Background and Current Status of Family Medicine
 Family medicine exists as a specialty in Turkey since 1983. Departments at universities were started in 1993. Most of the advances have been achieved during the last years, resembling a geometrical growth rate. Today there are 26 family practice departments in 39 medical faculties, serving to a population of around 65 million people. Beyond the departments at the faculties, there are nine other teaching hospitals with family practice residency programs. The first residency program started in 1985. Today there are around 1000 graduated family physicians and 500 residents. 

 

Our Vision
 Every person living in Turkey should have access to the best possible primary care service.

 
Our Fundamental Goals
to serve high quality primary health care to inhabitants in Edirne and environment.

to educate family practice residents to meet the needs of the Turkish population and increase the level of family physicians as educators and clinicians

to educate medical students with knowledge and skills necessary in primary health care

to conduct medical research which will guide family physicians to develop appropriate halth policies and give health services according to the needs of the population.

beeing aware of his mission and responsibility as the first family practice department of Turkey, TUMFFP aims to develop tools and policies to enlighten the way of family physicians as well as the whole health sector in Turkey.
Who we are
 Trakya University Medical Faculty Department of Family Practice (TUMFFP) is located in Edirne, an ancient city at the western border of Turkey with 150.000 inhabitants. 

Trakya University Medical Faculty has established the first family practice department in turkey. This department was inactive until January 1998. After this time, the staff was increased to 4 academic personnel, started to give residency education, and rteach to phase 1 medical students. One resident finished recently the program. Currently there are 5 residents.

The department has organized one local, one national meetings and two national courses as CME activities so far.

Health service is given via the FP center at the ancient Sultan II. Beyazıt health complex. 

The department is also involved in medical research. Many papers have been published in national and international journals and presented in medical meetings.

 

What we do
educate family practice residents

educate medical education

organize CME activities

develop health policies

make research in the field of general practice

give primary health care

 
How we do this
 Health services: new family practice centers will be established in the target region. The necessary equipment and staff will be supplied for these centers. 

Staff: new residency centers will be established in the FP center region to increase the number of residency positions. In addition to FP residents master and doctorate pograms will be established to train other members of the health team such as nurse practitioners, social workers, and clinical psychologists. 
CME courses will be organized to improve the knowledge and skills of Turkish family physicians in the fields of faculty development, health policy development, age and gender-specific health care, and other clinical issues.

Efforts will be done to be involved in all phases of undergraduate medical education and to include family medicine rotations in clerckship and internship phases. The department will work to build national standards in education. Coordinated work will be done with Turkish Association of Family Physicians (TAHUD), Society of Teachers in Family Medicine (STFM), Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Family Medicine, and other organizations.

Projects will be developed to make medical research. These will include especially cohort and case-controlled prospective studies.

 
Our key current targets for the next five years
to establish 4 family practice centers in the neighborhood.

to increase the staff to 3 associate professors, 2 assistant professors, 5 FP specialists, 15 FP residents, 4 nurses, and 4 medical secretaries.

continue to organize yearly faculty development courses with the support of VCU department of family practice, aiming to establish the core educational team for Turkey.

to be involved in all phases of undergraduate medical education.

to make cohort studies to define the needs of our target population.