Health Minister Dr. Fahrettin Koca gave information about the health services provided in the earthquake region.
Reminding that the use of mains water as drinking water in Hatay is risky, Dr. Koca said, “We carry out microbiological, bacteriological and chemical analyzes on the mains water. The reason for these persistent analyzes is, even if the situation seems normal, under such conditions, the possibility of aftershocks to make the mains water dangerous. Moreover, the analysis results of some of the samples still show that the mains water should not be drunk. Mains water can only be used for general purposes such as cleaning.
“At the moment, there is no scientific data that could mean an epidemic or be a sign of an epidemic. This situation depends on factors such as clean drinking water and food cleanliness and environmental cleanliness, each of which cannot be compromised,” said Dr. Koca.
“The number of patients examined at their place of residence has exceeded 250 thousand”
Stating that more than 17 thousand physicians and 122 thousand health personnel are still working in the disaster area, Dr. Koca said, “The number of primary health care services provided has approached 3 million. Within the scope of health screenings, approximately 9 thousand visits were made to the villages. The number of patients who were examined by our teams by visiting their place of residence has exceeded 250 thousand. The medicines of our patients are supplied quickly," he said.
Minister Koca explained that approximately 1200 resident health care institutions with 26 field hospitals and 133 emergency response units continue to operate in the earthquake zone, and that certain applications can be made in field hospitals, from X-ray to computed tomography, from diabetes diagnosis and treatment regulation to serious surgical operations.
Pointing out that there are two special groups in health services, Dr. Koca said, “We try to reach our elders over the age of 75 even if they have moved from their place of residence, we follow their chronic diseases and give them their medicines. The system we have established includes taking care of every need, from hospitalization to treatment. With this system, we have had the opportunity to deal with 32,724 adults in the disaster area so far. We provide mental health services to the earthquake survivors, another special group, both face-to-face and online. The number of child and adolescent mental health specialists working or volunteering in the online service and in the field is 307. In total, more than 5,400 meetings were held yesterday.”