Faculty Member of Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) Faculty of Medicine Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Sina Coşkun, who went to the town of Elbistan in Kahramanmaraş:

"Connecting them to life without giving up on any patients has motivated us all. This has allowed us to continue to hope, to see that hope still exists."

The OMU health personnel who went to the earthquake area following the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş on February 6  talked about their experiences.

OMU Medical Faculty Orthopedics and Traumatology Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Sina Coşkun, who voluntarily went to the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaraş after the earthquake, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they reached the disaster area with a team of 40 people on the second day of the earthquake.

Stating that they started working at Elbistan State Hospital, Dr. Coşkun said, "Loss of limbs and injuries to organs were the most common cases in people saved from the rubble. We've had a lot of patients who had to have amputations (the surgical removal of part of the body, such as an arm or leg)."

Stating that they started referring the operated patients on the fifth day of the earthquake, Coşkun said, "When we reached Elbistan, there were 150 patients. When we returned to Samsun, this number had decreased to 10. Our team of 40 people worked hard there. Everyone tried to do their best for each patient. Connecting them to life without giving up on any patients has motivated us all. This has allowed us to continue to hope, to see that hope still exists."

Emphasizing that Elbistan State Hospital turned into a big house after the earthquake, Coşkun said, "Patients, children, pets, who could not be discharged because their houses were destroyed, were all in the hospital. It had turned into a big living space for everyone. It has been a while since the earthquake, but aid activities must be continuous. We must always remember that there was a devastating earthquake on February 6, and we must keep doing our best to help the people there."

"We felt the feeling of nationhood most deeply there. "

Esra Turunç, MD, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, who went to Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University Medical Faculty Hospital with a team of 14 people after the earthquake, said that when they heard about the earthquake, they wanted to form a volunteer team and set out, but they were waiting for their turn.

Expressing that they set out on February 12 to manage the operating room at Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Turunç said, "There was a power that really helped us. There was hope within us. Our eyes were always on the television. We followed the news, hoping that another patient would come out."

Pointing out that the emergency room and operating room staff work continuously as if on guard duty, Turunç said, "The unity, solidarity, and togetherness in there... We really felt the feeling of nationhood there. The Turkish Armed Forces organized our return. A colonel told us there, 'We think we are an army. But we realized you were a much bigger army than us when we saw you.' We were happy to hear that. Our condolences to our entire nation. May God never let us experience such pain again."

OMU Chief Physician Fatih Özkan pointed out that all his teammates who went to the disaster area did very well and said:

"When we sent them from here, we knew that they would do great things and apply their knowledge and experience in the best way. We were both touched and proud, listened to them, and cried together. We followed what was told, sometimes with sadness and sometimes bitter smiles. I would like to thank each of my friends personally and on behalf of my city and my University. I pray to God that such a disaster does not happen to our country again."