Over the last 2 months, medics from more than 20 countries have come together to support those affected by the recent devastating earthquakes, responding to a request for international assistance issued by the Turkish authorities. Working side by side with Turkish Ministry of Health staff and WHO, these remarkable individuals have played a vital role in Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs), saving lives and providing health care to those who survived the quakes.
As some of them share with us in the video below, they have been treating people whose bravery and stoicism inspire hope for the future.
In the film, Nicola Tommasoni, Team Leader for the Italian EMT, shows us the “Hall of Fame” sign outside the field hospital in Antakya, Hatay. The sign features the names of the first 31 babies who were safely delivered by the team, regardless of the scene of destruction wreaked by the earthquakes outside.
“As is written here, ‘Life is reborn, even in darkness’. This is the big hope for this country,” Nicola says with a gentle smile.
Yagmur Gök, a 25-year-old doctor who graduated just 5 months ago, was on duty in a hospital in Gaziantep when the earthquakes struck. Working quickly with 2 other doctors to get patients out of the building, she then worked to manage the needs of survivors with a range of injuries.
She was moved to do even more to help people who had lost everything. Now, she spends her free time volunteering as an interpreter, ensuring that the medics fully understand the needs of their Turkish-speaking patients.
Yagmur says, “I’m blessed that no harm came to my family, my home. I’m actually sad because of other people … I don’t want to sit at home when I can be doing something here.”
Helping children smile again
We met traumatologist David Lopez from the Spanish EMT in İskenderun, Türkiye. Like his colleagues, David has worked tirelessly to provide the best care possible, while also being touched by the courage of those he has treated.
“Unfortunately, we have seen many children,” David says, visibly moved as he shares his experiences. “They have lost their parents and are experiencing trauma. They are afraid. It’s very hard to earn their trust. But here, we have exceptional people, like our logisticians and firefighters, who managed to make a little girl smile. Her sister told me it was her first smile in 6 weeks. These stories get to your heart.”
Nimet Sena Ertuğrul, a doctor normally based in Uşak, Türkiye, is one of many Turkish medics who travelled to İskenderun to work at the Turkish National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE) Field Hospital after the earthquakes.
She says, “People’s trauma is very significant, and it affects us too, but it feels good to take care of them. After they leave with a smile, we feel happy too. We try to provide support in any way, not just for physical treatment. When they want to tell us something, we listen. We keep toys for children who have lost their father or mother. It helps.”
She was particularly moved by the concern that one patient showed her. “He asked if I had come all this way to help them. His concern for me, without thinking about his own problems, really touched me.”
The need for more support
WHO has so far released more than US$ 16 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies to support those affected by the Türkiye and Syria earthquakes. However, with almost 26 million people impacted, there is an urgent need for more funding.
With this in mind, WHO has launched a flash appeal for US$ 84.57 million to meet the immediate response needs across both Türkiye and the whole of Syria for the next 3 months.