Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Ali Güneş, who spoke at the program, began his speech by explaining the events that took place 116 years ago under the orders of Sultan Abdulhamid II when the Darülfünun Faculty of Medicine was established within the Istanbul Darülfünun-u Şahane, and that how the British forces occupied the faculty, confining medical students to a small basement area under strict security and turning the faculty buildings into military headquarters, subjecting medical students to harsh conditions. Continuing his speech, Prof. Dr. Ali Güneş stated: “The medical students who were disturbed by the occupation of the country, who wanted to rebel against the chains of captivity and light the torch of independence and who said, ‘I have been free since eternity, and free shall I be. What fool dares to shackle me? I defy the temerity!’, looked for ways to save their school and did not give in to the pressures of the occupation forces, and under the leadership of Hikmet, a third-year medical student, they made a plan and managed to gather without arousing suspicion under the guise of a celebration and to rise against the occupation troops." After these words, Prof. Dr. Ali Güneş emphasized that 346 medical students were heroically martyred in the War of Independence and that the School of Medicine continued its education in the War of Independence in the face of difficulties and that it had an important place in the establishment of our country. Güneş concluded his speech by saluting all our physicians, especially the physicians from Gaza, who sing the song of independence to the whole world today as they did 107 years ago, who marched against the tanks to protect their patients and hospitals, and then, he congratulated the Medicine Day.
Continuing the program, Rector of KAEU Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil began his speech by emphasizing that March 14, 1919, the date when Medicine Day was first celebrated, also marks the first organized resistance by medical faculty students against the British occupation. He highlighted that during the War of Independence, medical students at the Istanbul Medical School showed great resilience against the occupation despite immense sacrifices. In this resistance, Hikmet Boran, who was only a third-year medical student, took a leading role and even attended the Sivas Congress, demonstrating the commitment of medical students to the national struggle. Rector Karahocagil stated that as Akhism physicians' duty was to remember Hikmet Boran and his fellow students while celebrating March 14 Medicine Day, ensuring that their ideas and spirit of resistance live on. He concluded by expressing his hope that Allah would forbid the Turkish nation from having to endure such a difficult struggle again as in 1919, and he congratulated all participants on Medicine Day.
Following the speeches, certificates of appreciation were presented to our professors who retired from the KAEU Faculty of Medicine and our specialist physicians who have completed 30 years in health services. Sufi music recital took place, and certificates were presented to our professors who stood out with their academic studies. In addition, a Kahoot competition was held, certificates of appreciation were given to the quality representatives of the Faculty and gift draws were held.
After the end of the program, an iftar dinner was given to the students and faculty members of the Faculty of Medicine on the occasion of March 14th Medicine Day with the participation of Kırşehir Governor Murat Sefa Demiryürek. Governor Demiryürek emphasized that it was a pleasure to come together with university students on the occasion of the iftar program in Ramadan and that they are working to enter the heart worlds of young people in the spirituality of Ramadan and thanked everyone who contributed to the iftar program.
