Doctor from the earthquake zone: I saw how my colleagues were working, even though they were victims of the earthquake

While two major earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş on February 6 wreaked havoc in 11 provinces, many doctors flocked to the region to treat the injured. Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital Orthopedics and Traumatology Clinic Education Supervisor Assoc. Dr. Mehmet Bülent Balioğlu made statements about his experience in the earthquake zone.

“They were victims of the earthquake, but they worked with great dedication”

“We witnessed people being unable to enter their homes in cold weather and spending the night lighting fires in their cars and outside,” Assoc said. Dr. Balioğlu said, “When we reached Malatya, our institute distributed the health staff to the hospitals in need according to their departments and needs. When I reached Battalgazi State Hospital in Malatya, I saw how the medical staff there worked by giving their own, even though they were also victims of the earthquake without thinking about the situation of their families I was very impressed they tried somehow to sustain the emergency services This was very impressive to me because they were also victims of earthquakes, but they were working with great dedication. For me, they were impressive and dramatic images. But everyone did their best. To the hospital staff, who are still there. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to our colleagues who have worked for me the traumatology team i witnessed them carry a tremendous burden what is also impressive is that even though my colleagues are still there eds are not able to place their families in a safe environment under very good conditions, are they not? It was because I saw that they continued to serve at their headquarters. By making a division of labor, we tried to help maintain the emergency department, the service and the operation. When I saw that there was a transfer of patients from the region to Çam Sakura City Hospital, I felt the need to return to this side in the following hours.”

“Patients with earthquake trauma are nothing like other traumas”

Commenting on what he saw in the region, Assoc said. Dr. Balioğlu said, “What really impressed people at the first moment is that we saw the dimensions of victimization as a human being beyond being a doctor. Because people lost their relatives. This was very sad, children, the elderly and relatives can do without their relatives. If saved from the earthquake or one of our adult patients lost their relatives. It was a separate sad situation. At the same time, all these people were under the influence of trauma, both psychological and physiological. Patients with earthquake trauma are in no way similar to other traumas that we have seen in our professional life. You come across many different forms of it. A separate accumulation of knowledge. These patients are the group of patients who need education and training. You can get an injury in one of your limbs , arm or leg, but also in any form of trauma that affects your entire body, as well as your circulation, body dynamics and any urological function. Interruptions, earthquake trauma can be evaluated very, very carefully and perhaps targeted initially at the traumatized area, but it requires an evaluation of the clinical situation and careful treatment of it. We don’t just think of it as a place that was crushed or hit by a tram. Since he has been exposed to a serious trauma both psychologically and physiologically, we analyze in detail as if he were a patient in intensive care, and try to prevent the complications that the patient may experience later, making our initial interventions accordingly. There is a serious spectrum of patient injuries. In other words, we encountered serious injuries ranging from limb loss or simple fractures to deep wounds and related circulatory disorders or limb loss in these upper limbs, and similar to limb loss in the lower limbs. About 210 patients reported to our clinic during the earthquake. 120 of these patients are still under inpatient treatment. Here, about 90 of our patients were discharged after their treatment was completed. Nevertheless, the follow-up and treatment of these patients is closely monitored and continued even after discharge.