It was a terrible earthquake and we are all working to help rescuers in their efforts to find as many survivors as possible. We still feel the aftershocks, and some of our friends lost their family members under collapsed buildings, professor Ayse Balat, a specialist in Pediatric Nephrology and Rheumatology at Gaziantep University described the situation in Gaziantep for FENA after the devastating earthquake, which hit Turkey and Syria early Monday morning.
“The weather is too cold and rainy, and in some regions, it is snowing, and rescuers cannot approach the collapsed buildings in some districts of Gaziantep and neighbor cities such as Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Adıyaman,” she said.
Professor Balat is the vice-rector of Gaziantep University and emphasizes that as a university campus, they hosted thousands of people in halls and other safe buildings in Gaziantep.
“Unfortunately, our neighboring cities were much more affected than Gaziantep. Many buildings have collapsed, and there are many dead and injured, and we provide health services for them as well. It will take a long time to recover from that disaster. I am very sad and shaken when I see the condition of children who have lost their parents or are injured,” she emphasized.
Professor Balat said there are 40 pediatric cases in the department of pediatric nephrology because of crush injuries. Six of them are on hemodialysis, five are in the intensive care unit, and unfortunately, one patient died.
“There is a sufficient number of doctors in Gaziantep, and operation rooms and intensive care units are working actively. There was a serious problem with food and shelter on the first day, but since yesterday, national and international aid has started to arrive. Containers and tents are being set up, and rescue efforts continue. We have excellent communication and organization at the national level among nephrologists, and there are no major problems in patient follow-up and transfers,” stressed professor Balat from Gaziantep for FENA.
