Military doctors treat quake victims in Türkiye’s Kahramanmaras

By Firat Ozdemir and Okan Coskun

KAHRAMANMARAS, Türkiye (AA) - The military doctors working in a mobile field hospital are treating the wounds of victims in Türkiye’s Kahramanmaras region, the epicenter of the powerful Feb. 6 twin quakes.

The mobile field hospital, which was established by the Turkish National Defense Ministry, has served around 1,000 patients since the third day of the earthquake.

A total of 74 personnel, including 10 military physicians, are on duty in 21 tents and 19 containers installed in the Necip Fazil City Hospital parking lot.

Mustafa Gerek, the head of military health services, told Anadolu that the field hospital has many areas such as an intensive care unit and operating rooms.

“...unfortunately, the state hospital we are in could not start its activities fully because it was damaged in the earthquake. Our field hospital met the biggest need here,” Gerek said.

Noting that they performed 21 major surgical procedures in the field hospital, he said they transferred the patients to other hospitals when they became stable.

“Our friends here work round the clock,” he said, adding that they could respond to the demands needed day and night.

According to the latest figures, over 36,100 people have been killed and over 108,000 others wounded after the two massive earthquakes struck southern Türkiye within the space of just hours on Feb. 6, affecting more than 13 million people.

The earthquakes were centered in Kahramanmaras province and shook 10 other provinces, namely Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

It was also felt in several countries in the region, including Syria, where the death toll has topped 3,600.

*Writing by Gözde Bayar