The field hospitals from the European Union played a vital role in the earthquake zone
The February earthquakes disrupted daily life in the 11 provinces in Türkiye, including the functioning of the health system. While access to healthcare services became one of the most urgent needs in the earthquake area, European Union (EU) Member States set up field hospitals to contribute to meeting the demand.
“Hospitals and pharmacies were destroyed in the earthquake. Doctors and medics died. In such a case, field hospitals played a vital role in the earthquake zone,” says academician Barış Tuğrul, a volunteer interpreter at Spanish Field Hospital in Hatay.
Barış Tuğrul, the volunteer interpreter at Spanish Field Hospital.
Tuğrul states that on his first day at the field hospital, he worked from 9 in the morning to 11 at night, except for half an hour for lunch and dinner. He says: “The doctor with whom I worked that day treated 115 patients. I was not the only interpreter because it was a big field hospital; there were two pharmacies and many polyclinics, from obstetrics and paediatrics to physiotherapy and surgery.” He adds that the Spanish staff established good relationships with
the region's people and people were grateful for both the hospital and this solidarity.
The field hospitals treated thousands of earthquake savers.
Solidarity in the field of health
Doctor Servet Alkan, a survivor of the earthquake in Hatay, emphasises the importance of solidarity in the field of health. He says:
“Lots of my doctor friends, including me, brought their families to the safe cities and voluntarily returned to Hatay. We started to work with colleagues coming from other cities in the infirmaries established by associations, syndicates and NGOs after the earthquakes. Accessing medical equipment was a problem on the first days. Some friends from Antalya and Bolu sent us a truck of blood serum and medical equipment on the third day. This support from other cities continued for the next few days. Then we had great support from friends from the Turkish Pharmacists’ Association. Meanwhile, the field hospitals set up by many countries cared for earthquake victims and provided a transfer service to full-fledged hospitals.”
The Italian Field Hospital team.
“Solidarity diminishes the pain”
Ambassador Kemal Bozay, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Türkiye Republic, in the inauguration of the digital photography exhibition “Stronger Together” on the 9 of May, "solidarity" themed Europe Day, said:
“We know that solidarity brings more joy and happiness, and also, it diminishes the pain. In the aftermath of the earthquake, which affected 11 provinces and about 16 million people, EU institutions and member states were in solidarity with us which is very valuable.”
The EU has supported Türkiye since day one.
Solidarity by the EU
After the earthquakes, the Netherlands deployed a medical evacuation plane via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Some 2,000 tents, 8,000 beds and 500 relief-housing units equipped with 2,500 beds were mobilised via the reserves of the rescEU in Romania and Sweden, an extra layer of citizen protection integrated into the Mechanism. Via the Mechanism, 21 EU Member States, together with 4 Participating States under the Mechanism, offered 32 search and rescue teams and 7 medical teams, some of them arriving at the earthquake sites already on the first day to start their search for survivors. In addition to first responders, five field hospitals from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Spain were sent to Türkiye via the Mechanism. These field hospitals allowed them to treat thousands of people, and some medical equipment was later donated to Türkiye.
Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut visited Belgian Field Hospital in Hatay.
EU funds the largest field hospital in the world
Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, Head of the EU Delegation to Türkiye, who visited the Belgian Field Hospital in Kırıkhan, Hatay, on the 28th of February, says, “All field hospitals from the European Union provided very professional and high-quality services to Turkish citizens. They helped to relieve the burden on existing Turkish hospitals after the earthquake.
The operations in the earthquake area were a perfect example of a successful and coordinated European approach. And now, besides the EU continuing to assist the people in the earthquake area, the European Commission is allocating €106.2 million to 8 countries, including Türkiye, to develop the new rescEU Emergency Medical Team capacity following natural or man-made disasters. With this joint initiative, we'll reach the capacity of the biggest field hospital in Europe. As I mentioned before in Kırıkhan, Türkiye can count on our support and solidarity, now and beyond.”
The European Commission is allocating €106.2 million to 8 countries, including Türkiye.
The countries allocated budget by the European Commission are Türkiye, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Romania, within the scope of rescEU.
Emphasising the “spirit of solidarity”, Luís Meira, the President of the Portugal National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM), tells Lusa News Agency, “The countries’ response capacity is not sufficient to respond to situations that often do not respect the countries’ borders.”
Due to this reason, being part of this project is vital for the countries. Hans Das, the European Commission’s Director of Emergency Management, says that the rescEU EMT project will strengthen the countries’ emergency teams during natural disasters or pandemics.
According to Hans Das, the field hospital “is very necessary” and will be more necessary because “of the constant risk of large natural hazards in Europe and the world, such as volcanos, earthquakes and other sudden-onset disasters, but also because of the changing risk landscape, which exposes us to new types of disaster risks.” He adds that it is expected to be “the largest field hospital in the world.”
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