Geriatric Medicine - Section of UEMS

Geriatric Medicine in Turkey

According to the laws in Turkey, Geriatric Medicine is a division of Internal Medicine Departments. According to the Specialty in Medicine By-laws, 3 years of geriatric medicine education is required after 4 years of internal medicine residency to become a geriatrician.

There are 12 Geriatric Medicine Departments, all are a subspeciality of Internal Medicine bylaw and 45 geriatricians now in the country (November 2011), and all are working in the field of geriatric medicine after internal medicine residency and all work with Academic Geriatric Society.

There are 11 professors, 9 associate professors and 12 geriatric medicine specialist in the area of geriatric medicine and all of these physicians and the fellows in the geriatric medicine became internal medicine specialist before getting their degree in geriatric medicine.

Academic Geriatrics Society (http://www.akademikgeriatri.org) was founded on 2005. We have43 geriatrician members and beside geriatricians we have members from other departments of Internal Medicine; Hematology, Nephrology, Rheumatology, Medical Oncology, Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Endocrinology and also from Geriatric Nursing, Geriatric Psychiatry, Physical Therapy and Nutrition.

The society arranges a national geriatrics congress every year. Next year Academic Geriatrics-2012 Congress will be in Antalya 23-27 May 2012 (http://www.akademikgeriatri.org/2012).

Additionally, we started publishing a journal - Academic Geriatrics Journal (http://www.bilimseltipyayinevi.com/)- in the field of geriatrics and gerontology and the first issue was published in March 2009. We are publishing it in 4 issues per year and we have already published 3 issues this year 2011 and the journal is avaiable from our website.

The society is also organising rational drug useage symposium each year, next will be September 2012 North Cyprus, 2011 was in Ankara.

The society is an observer member of the EUGMS and also will become a member of IAGG-europe şn 2013, candidate position will be accpeted 2013.

Members of the society and the board are also active in the health politics regarding elderly health and are involving in the policy making strategies with the ministery of health and ministery of family and social support and also governmental organisations fort he elderly nursing homes.

Dr. Birkan Ilhan

Assoc. Prof.

Dr. Gülistan Bahat