İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Eşrefpaşa Hospital hosted an important event in cooperation with the İzmir Branch of the Turkish Nurses Association within the scope of May 12-18 Nurses Week. The “Nursing at the Heart of Transformation Symposium” held at the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center (AASSM) drew attention to the importance of the nursing profession and brought together retired nurses who worked at Eşrefpaşa Hospital and nurse candidates who are the nurses of the future.
In the opening speech of the symposium, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Eşrefpaşa Hospital Chief Physician Assoc. Prof. Dr. Başak Bayram emphasized that nursing has a deep-rooted history and stated that this profession was practiced hundreds of years before Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Reminding that the word “nurse” also means sister, Bayram stated that the meticulous care shown to a sick person can only be explained by a close bond like a sister. In a striking part of her speech, Chief Physician Assoc. Prof. Dr. Başak Bayram shared with the participants two historical documents dated 1934 and 1937, signed by the President of the period, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, regarding the extension of the work permit of German nurse Margot Konrat, who worked at Eşrefpaşa Hospital for two years.
Eşrefpaşa Hospital's Deep-Rooted History and Values Emphasized
Chief Physician Assoc. Prof. Dr. Başak Bayram also shared important information about Eşrefpaşa Hospital's 117-year-old deep-rooted history. Referring to the hospital's working principles, Bayram said, "We are not interested in a person working too much, but in working enough. We focus on the quality of patient care. Those before us gave us such a school and we continue that school. We have kept this whole culture alive over the years and have continued it until today. This is something we are proud of and we intend to develop it in the coming years and carry it into the future." Bayram also drew attention to Eşrefpaşa Hospital's feature of being the only hospital in Türkiye without a revolving fund and expressed her wish that the number of second-level hospitals that can meet the basic needs of the society and blend good nursing care with medical care will increase instead of large hospitals.
Nurses’ Difficult Working Conditions Revealed
Dr. Lecturer Ebru Melek Benligül, President of the Izmir Branch of the Turkish Nurses Association, drew attention to the difficulties faced by nurses in her speech. “We are starting our profession with the aim of providing uninterrupted service in all environments to protect and improve health and to restore the health of individuals who are ill. We want to provide the qualified nursing care that our people deserve. However, unfortunately, with each passing day, we are moving away from the quality health service that we desire and believe in, from our people being healthy,” Benligül said, emphasizing the commercialization of health services and the difficulty of staying healthy and making the people healthy in a system where nurses are ignored.
The Luck of Eşrefpaşa Hospital Nurses was Highlighted
Eşrefpaşa Hospital Head Nurse Gülçin Akın stated that nursing is a sacred profession that is performed with devotion, love, knowledge and conscience. Expressing that nurses in our country work under difficult conditions and do not receive the value they deserve, Akın said, “However, we are luckier than most of our colleagues because we work at İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Eşrefpaşa Hospital with ethical principles, appropriate working conditions, and an environment that is accepting, supportive and respectful.” Addressing young nurse candidates, Akın stated that they are the light of the future and that they will rise even higher with their conscience, energy and knowledge.
Important Topics Were Discussed at the Symposium
The symposium, moderated by Prof. Dr. Fisun Şeunuz Aykar from the Department of Nursing at the Faculty of Health Sciences of İZTÜ, featured presentations under two important headings. Turkish Nurses Association İzmir Branch President Dr. Faculty Member Ebru Melek Benligül drew attention to the difficulties experienced in the profession and solution suggestions with her presentation titled “From Burnout to Hope: A New Roadmap in Nursing.” Prof. Dr. Şafak Dağhan from the Faculty of Nursing of Ege University shared the critical role of nurses in the health system and her vision for the future in her speech titled “Building the Future: The Transformative Power of the Nurse.” In addition, retired nurses from Eşrefpaşa Hospital took the stage at the event to share their feelings and experiences. The symposium ended with an enthusiastic folk dance show performed by Eşrefpaşa Hospital physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals. This meaningful event once again emphasized the importance of the nursing profession and brought together different generations of nurses, creating a valuable platform for solidarity and professional sharing.
