Doctors Without Borders’ Director General João Antunes warned this Wednesday of the risk of disease spreading in highly vulnerable situations such as those currently occurring in Turkey and Syria, following one of the deadliest earthquakes of this century.
The two countries, rocked on Monday by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake and then several aftershocks, already had a large number of people in vulnerable conditions, the head of the international humanitarian organization recalled.
Syria, which “has one of the largest displaced populations in the country” and Turkey, “home to one of the largest refugee populations” were already countries where “uncertainty existed” and people “in a very vulnerable situation,” he told Lusa in charge .
The preliminary tally of earthquakes that hit southeastern Turkey and northern neighboring Syria surpassed 11,200 dead today in the early afternoon.
“On the first day, we were able to provide assistance to more than 200 people while strengthening an entire network of hospitals and health centers and providing a little training” on humanitarian aid in disasters of this magnitude, explains João Antunes, specifying that the main aid in Syria was given with materials and medicines the organization already had there.
But, as the general director of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) emphasized, aid cannot only be medical.
“Even people whose homes have not suffered major earthquake damage, [criaram] a fear of returning home” and falling victim to further aftershocks, he explained.
Therefore, several families “practically live on the street, in a very cold season”, so “humanitarian aid should also include the provision of non-food items”, that is, shelter, mattresses, blankets, blankets, dishes, kitchen utensils, among other products .
In addition, warned João Antunes, it is necessary to ensure that the treatments applied in hospitals can continue, although “some structures are damaged, but not impossible” to remain operational immediately.
“There is some risk of them collapsing or being damaged. However, there are also patients and pregnant women, children and maternity units in these hospitals that need to be transferred,” he said.
Another dimension of the earthquake-related problem is that of mental health, he stressed, adding that those who help now should also be helped later.
“Even if it is our colleagues, who are used to working under stress, the situation affects everyone, their families and their own population,” he argued.
Source: DN
