WHO/Europe is prepared to assist the Turkish Ministry of Health with the humanitarian emergency response in the wake of today’s devastating earthquakes in the south-eastern region of Türkiye, a WHO European Region Member State, close to the border with the Syrian Arab Republic, a press release reads.
This support will be provided through the WHO Country Office in Türkiye and in collaboration with WHO headquarters.
The initial earthquake’s epicentre was not far from the Turkish city of Gaziantep, where the WHO has a field office that mostly supports its humanitarian efforts in western Syria. The field office is now serving as the WHO’s crisis response center as well.
According to news sources, more than 1500 people have died in Turkey alone, and as rescue efforts ramp up and more details become known, the death toll is expected to rise.
Syria belongs to the Eastern Mediterranean Region of the WHO. The areas of northern and northwestern Syria that have also been severely impacted by the natural catastrophe are receiving assistance from the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO/EMRO). To address urgent health needs resulting from the crisis, WHO/Europe and WHO/EMRO are collaborating with WHO headquarters.
In response to a call for international aid, WHO’s Emergency Medical Teams initiative has been activated to provide vital medical care for the injured and most vulnerable catastrophe victims.
In the immediate wake of the earthquakes, national officials are concentrating on search and rescue while preparing for a rise in the demand for trauma care to treat the injured. In affected communities, particularly those where medical institutions may have suffered damage, the larger health system will also need to be supported.
As the situation develops, WHO/Europe will continue to provide updates on the assistance given to Türkiye and the health needs being addressed in the course of the response.
