At the press conference held in Hatay, Minister Koca said that after the Hatay-centered earthquake that occurred on Monday, February 19, an additional 160 112 ambulances and 22 UMKE teams were assigned. Dr. Koca also stated that 6 people died in that earthquake, 4 of them at the scene and 2 of them in the hospital, and 562 people were injured.
Dr. Koca said that the emergency and main building of Mustafa Kemal University Medical Faculty Training and Research Hospital, Samandağ, Reyhanlı and Kırıkhan State Hospitals and B block of İskenderun State Hospital were slightly damaged and usable, but were partially evacuated despite this. Dr. Koca also added that emergency response units were established in these hospitals and health services continued without interruption, and that 95 intensive care patients who were under treatment were transferred to hospitals in Ankara, Adana and Dörtyol.
Expressing that he has been in the earthquake zone for 17 days, Dr. Koca said, “As the person with the most precise information, I understand the sensitivities. However, it should not be forgotten that the news spreads also cause the doctors, nurses and technical teams working here with great devotion to worry. Dr. Koca stated that moderate damage was detected in Adana Çukurova University Balcalı Hospital after the new earthquakes and that the patients were transferred to other hospitals, especially Adana City and Yüreğir State Hospitals.
Using the expression "The doctor's hand is skillful, the health system is strong", he continued as follows:
“We are on the field with our experts, our team and our medicine to provide uninterrupted health services from the center to the villages in this city. In the last 17 days, approximately 1000 surgical interventions were performed in Hatay alone. We performed 212 thousand 345 examinations. Our health services continue in an orderly manner to meet the needs. Rest assured about health, we have everything you can count on us. Our field hospital has everything, including a tomography device.
Field Hospitals
Dr. Koca stated that there is a full-fledged field hospital in the garden of Hatay Training and Research Hospital, where surgeries can be performed, and a field hospital established by the US teams also provides services there, and gave the following information about other field hospitals:
“We are building a fully equipped new field hospital in the same way opposite the old hospital. In addition, we provide services with our emergency response field hospitals at 17 different points in the central district. In front of our state hospitals in Arsuz, Altınözü, İskenderun, Samandağ, Hassa, and in front of the hospital in Kırıkhan, our fully-equipped field hospitals continue to serve. In three separate points in Iskenderun, including the national garden, our emergency hospitals are at the disposal of the injured and patients.”
Under the management of the Ministry, full-fledged field hospitals were established by Spain in Arsuz; by Belgium in Kırıkhan Hospital; by United Arab Emirates in front of the old hospital in Reyhanlı; by Uzbekistan in Ovakent, by Indonesia in the village of Hassa Ardıçlı, by Italy in the stadium in Defne and by Qatar in Payas.
“Public health measures are vital. We do what is necessary to protect you from danger. We regularly examine the water used for drinking and cleaning to see if they can cause disease. For a while, we will use only water brought by tankers and packaged, hygienic water as drinking water. Survivors of an earthquake should not endanger their own lives or others with simple carelessness. Hatay Governorship or district governorships will announce when we can drink tap water,” added Dr. Koca
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