Fatma Şakir Memik (1903 – February 9, 1991) was a Turkish physician, politician and one of the first 18 female members of the Turkish parliament. Memik was a philanthropist.

Early life

Fatma Şakir was born to Şakir, a baker and flour trader, and his spouse Cemile in Akviran village of

Safranbolu Safranbolu is a town in Karabük Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is the seat of Safranbolu District.

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in 1903. She was schooled in her hometown. At the age of eight, she moved with her father to

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, where she attended Bayezid girls' school and Bezmiâlem Valide Sultan School. After finishing the high school in 1923, she was educated in medicine at Darülfünun, today

Istanbul University Istanbul University, also known as University of Istanbul (), is a Public university, public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after Fall of Constantinople, the conquest of Constantinop ...

. In 1929, she graduated ranking first in class. Between 1929 and 1931, she conducted her medical specialization at Vakıf Gureba Hospital, today School of Medicine Hospital of Bezmialem Foundation University.

Physician

Fatma Şakir served as an assistant physician at

Heybeliada Heybeliada, or Heybeli Ada, () is the second largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul, Turkey. It is officially a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Adalar, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its populatio ...

Sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often in a health ...

from January 31 to October 6 in 1932. She was then assigned to Vakıf Gureba Hospital serving between October 9, 1932 and June 1, 1933. She became a specialist doctor for Internal medicine after receiving the

Board certification Board certification is the process by which a physician, veterinarian, or other professional demonstrates a mastery of advanced knowledge and skills through written, oral, practical, or simulator-based testing. Certification bodies There are mor ...

in 1934. The next year, she was appointed clinic chief at the same hospital.

Politician

Inline with the law of suffrage enacted in 1934,

Turkish women Women obtained full political participation rights in Turkey, including the right to vote and the right to run for office locally, in 1930, and nationwide in 1934. Article 10 of the Turkish Constitution bans any discrimination, state or pri ...

were granted to vote and run for a seat in the

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. She learned by chance that the

Republican People's Party The Republican People's Party (RPP; , CHP ) is a Kemalism, Kemalist and Social democracy, social democratic political party in Turkey. It is the oldest List of political parties in Turkey, political party in Turkey, founded by Mustafa Kemal ...

(CHP) nominated her for the 1935 general election. It was revealed that President

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

personally wanted Memik's nomination due to her profession as a physician. She entered the 5th Parliament as a deputy from

Edirne Province Edirne Province () is a Turkish province located in East Thrace. Part of European Turkey, it is one of only three provinces located entirely within continental Europe. Its area is 6,145 km2, and its population is 414,714 (2022). Edirne Province ...

. She was so one of the first 18 female members of the Turkish parliament. She was elected temporary secretary of the parliament's

presidium A presidium or praesidium is a council of executive officers in some countries' political assemblies that collectively administers its business, either alongside an individual president or in place of one. The term is also sometimes used for the ...

in its first session. During her term, Memik served as secretary in the parliamentary commission of Health and Social Welfare. In addition, she was a member of the commissions formed for the bills to Labor Law and Sports Organizations. In a report for the parliament, she prepared with other deputies of Edirne Province, it was recommended that immigrants should be settled in empty areas to promote production, the

Chemins de fer Orientaux The Chemins de fer Orientaux (English: Oriental Railway; or ''İstanbul-Viyana Demiryolu'') (reporting mark: CO) was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman railway company operating in Rumelia (the European part of the Ottoman Empire, corresponding to the ...

() should be nationalized, a leveee needs to be constructed to regulate the flooding River Maritsa and the swamps causing

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

in the region should be urgently drained. She took part at the International Congress on Child Welfare held in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...

on October 1, 1938. Memik kept her seat in the 6th and 7th Parliament.

Philanthropist

From 1931 on, she served as a physician for the

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the poor of a locality, for those who had held ce ...

in Topkapı, Istanbul honorarily in her free time while she was a board member of the charity institution n the same time. During her membership in the parliament in Ankara, she traveled by train to Istanbul on Friday evenings. On Saturdays, she gratuitously served in a private

polyclinic A polyclinic (where ''poly'' means "many"; not to be confused with the homonym policlinic, where ''poli'' means "city" and which is sometimes used for a hospital's outpatient department) is a clinic or health care facility that provides both g ...

in Çarşıkapı, Istanbul. In the Saturday evenings and Sundays, she was available for heath service to her neighbors. Memik was nicknamed in İstanbul the "Doctor, who practice for free" or the "Mother of poor people". She was a board member at "Turkish Children Welfare Corporation" (), "

Turkish Red Crescent The Turkish Red Crescent () is the Turkish affiliate of the International Red Crescent and the first worldwide adopter of the crescent symbol for humanitarian aid. Being the largest humanitarian foundation in Turkey, its roots goes back to the ...

" ().

Later years

She returned to her principal profession after she left politics in 1946. Between 1947 and 1949, she worked as an internist at Ankara Numune Hospital, and from 1950 to 1951 in the dispensary of the health insurance of workers in

Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 18 km2 and its population is 175,190 (2022). It is located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and ...

, Istanbul. In 1951, Memik was appointed chief of polyclinic at Şişli Children's Hospital in 1951. She served at this position until her retirement in 1968. Fatma Şakir Memik died on February 9, 1991. She was not married.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Memik, Fatma Sakir 20th-century Turkish women politicians 20th-century Turkish physicians 20th-century Turkish women physicians 1903 births 1991 deaths People from Safranbolu Darülfünun alumni Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine alumni Turkish internists Republican People's Party (Turkey) politicians Deputies of Edirne Members of the 5th Parliament of Turkey Members of the 6th Parliament of Turkey Members of the 7th Parliament of Turkey Turkish philanthropists Turkish women philanthropists Women internists