Symposium about Emergency Responses to Disasters
The 2nd International Istanbul Disaster and Emergency Medicine Symposium Takes Place at Yeditepe University
The 2nd International Istanbul Disaster and Emergency Medical Symposium organized by Yeditepe University brought together the managers of AFAD and UMKE and the experts of their field to talk about emergency responses during disasters and pre-disaster preparation processes.
Istanbul Provincial Health Director Prof. Dr. Kemal Memişoğlu, AFAD and UMKE executives and staff, Yeditepe University Rector Prof. Dr. Canan Aykut Bingöl, faculty members and students from the Yeditepe University Natural Disasters Search and Rescue Club attended the symposium organized to create awareness on first aid and prevention issues to be implemented before and after disasters.
”Search and Rescue is a job for Volunteers“
Speaking at the opening of the symposium Istanbul Provincial Health Director Prof. Dr. Kemal Memişoğlu, emphasized that especially since 2002 increased measures were taken in Turkey and added “all of our friends working in this field are heroes because this job is for volunteers and one needs to like doing it”.
Dr. Eray Çınar, Head of Disaster and Emergency Response Management Department, who provided information about the activities of the National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE), which has been serving since 2004, and the rescue operations they have participated, said that the most important point of protection from disasters was preparation.
“The Most Important Factor is Awareness”
AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management) Intervention Department Head Abdulkadir Tezcan said the most important factor of risk reduction was awareness.
Rector Prof. Dr. Canan Aykut Bingöl stated that there are about 43 student clubs at Yeditepe University and that the Yeditepe Natural Disaster Recovery Club (YUDAK) is one of the most important of these clubs and that the club has saved more than 350 lives.
Alparslan Erişti, one of the students from YUDAK, told that they received their education from various institutions and that they were certified.
“Citizens should be trained too”
Dr. Mustafa Ferudun Çelikmen, faculty member at Yeditepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, said that those who received medical education should be informed about disaster medicine and that this training should be given to citizens.
Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine faculty member Prof. Dr. Niyazi Doğaç Özüçelik noted that one of the first countries called for help at international incidents is Turkey.
Yeditepe University School of Medicine faculty member Mohammad Elgazzar, who started his career in Egypt, worked as a practitioner at war zones, and worked for the last two years on behalf of the World Health Organization on Syrian health problems in Gaziantep, said that he was happy to work on this issue in Turkey.
On the second day of the event, YUDAK and UMKE teams participated in search and rescue drills.