Critical medical specialties struggle to attract young doctors

ANKARA

Türkiye’s latest medical residency exam results have renewed concerns over the future of the country’s healthcare workforce, with large numbers of residency positions in pediatric medicine, general surgery, emergency medicine and pediatric subspecialties left unfilled.

Medical experts say young physicians are increasingly avoiding high-risk specialties due to demanding working conditions, violence against healthcare workers, malpractice lawsuits and inadequate employment benefits, warning that the trend could lead to shortages in critical fields.

According to Prof. Dr. Özgür Kasapçopur, head of the Turkish Pediatric Association, the most alarming figures were recorded in pediatric subspecialties. In the latest placements, only 9 percent of neonatal medicine positions were filled, while 96 percent of pediatric intensive care posts remained vacant. “Children’s health is an investment in society’s future,” he said, calling for higher salaries, stronger incentives, lighter on-call workloads and reforms to compulsory service. Otherwise, he warned, Türkiye could face serious difficulties finding pediatric specialists in the coming years.

Emergency medicine is facing similar challenges. Professor Dr. Özgür Söğüt of the Turkish Emergency Medicine Foundation noted that although emergency departments receive around 200 million patient visits annually, the system is staffed by only about 4,000 emergency specialists and 1,800 residents, creating workloads well above global averages.

Specialists from obstetrics and gynecology, cardiovascular surgery and neurosurgery also said their disciplines have become less attractive because of lengthy training, heavy responsibilities, legal risks and deteriorating work-life balance. Many young doctors now prefer lower-risk specialties or seek careers abroad instead.

Experts warned that urgent reforms are needed to prevent specialist shortages.