Association of Medical Doctors of ASIA, founded in 1984, Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC since 1995

On 16 February, AMDA’s relief team moved to heavily-affected Adiyaman for a needs assessment.
 

Assessing needs in affected towns and villages:

On the way to Adiyaman, the team learned that there was one casualty in Çelikhan, a town with a total population of 10,000. Although roads were blocked due to snow, helicopters helped deliver relief supplies to the area. The town’s only hospital wasn’t functioning, however, the Malaysian Armed Forces set up a makeshift clinic to respond to medical needs (including surgical operations) on the ground. 

AMDA’s aid workers provided blankets to a family evacuated at the shelter as per their request. The family told the team that the locality managed to secure relief goods thanks to the aid distribution from the outside.

At the Aksu village, the next stop, 11 out of 240 villagers were killed due to building collapse and landslides. While most of the villagers have sought refuge in other places, about 80 people have been forced to stay in makeshift tents set up next to their houses. The team confirmed that the village had received food supplies, but residents requested winter boots to endure windy and chilly weather.
 
Other than noted, the AMDA team dropped by a tent which they found along the road leading to Malatya. There, the team was asked by a family to see an elderly person who was said to be in ill-health. The family said the patient could not move, had less appetite, and was suffering from lack of sleep. After seeing the patient, an AMDA doctor advised them to keep the patient always hydrated and change the sleeping position every few hours. The patient repeatedly tried to thank the team by sitting up properly despite one’s inability to move.
 

Visiting a medical association in Adıyaman:

On 16 February, AMDA paid a visit to a local medical association in Adıyaman after being introduced to the organization through a doctors’ association in Adana. Currently, the Adıyaman medical association has been based in one of four big evacuation camps as it lost its building in the quake. 

As the organization lost 13 of its registered doctors in the disaster, substitute doctors have been sent in from Istanbul every week to take charge of daily rounds and home-visit activities. The arrangements have been made by a local medical association in Istanbul. 

Local hospitals in Adıyaman have been transferring patients by helicopter as needed, since the facilities have not been fully functional. The team learned that although there were enough medicine and other necessities, the Istanbul medical association has been taking care of the overall medical work. 

For now, AMDA will carry on with the needs assessment in affected regions.