British field hospital healing wounds of quake victims in southern Türkiye

By Izzet Mazi

KAHRAMANMARAS, Türkiye (AA) – A field hospital set up by the British military six days after powerful earthquakes jolted southern Türkiye is healing the wounds of victims in Kahramanmaras.

A British medical team in the 24-bed field hospital, which was opened in the courtyard of a severely damaged public hospital in Turkoglu district, is providing medical treatment in coordination with the health facility of the Turkish National Medical Rescue Team from Sivas province.

“We are here to help the Turkish authorities and we are taking guidance from the Turkish authorities as to what medical care they want us to provide,” specialist nurse Lt. Katy Hook, who is in charge of the hospital, told Anadolu.

She added that the British medical team is more than "willing to take over some of the load they (Turkish authorities) are currently feeling in the hospitals."

"We're just really glad that we're able to be here, that we're able to help."

On the scale of the devastation, Hook said: "I've never seen anything like this before. It is horrendous."

The 22-member medical team consists of five consultants, resource specialist nurses, intensive care specialist nurses, operating department practitioners, and biomedical scientists.

The field hospital also has an operation theater and an intensive care unit.

More than 36,100 people were killed and over 105,500 others wounded after the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes struck southern Türkiye within the space of less than 10 hours on Feb. 6, affecting around 13 million people.