WE Talk with Dr Süleyman Özsarı and Dr Raziye Şule Gümüştakım on the Turkish response to the earthquake

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20 November 2024, 16:30 CET

This session of WE Talk will examine the vital role of primary health care in crisis situations, using the February 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye as a case study. This event will highlight the resilience and adaptation of primary care services amidst disaster, as well as share firsthand experiences from healthcare personnel who were on the ground during this catastrophic event.

Following the introductions by WONCA Europe President Prof Shlomo Vinker and President-elect Prof Thomas Frese, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Süleyman Özsarı and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Raziye Şule Gümüştakım will share their experiences.

Disaster management strategies of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Türkiye after the February 6 earthquakes

The provision of primary health care services in the event of a disaster is an issue that requires preparedness before a disaster. As a result of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Pazarcık on February 6, 2023 and the 7.6 magnitude earthquake in Kahramanmaraş on the same day, the epicenter of which was Elbistan, approximately 14 million people were affected in 11 provinces. Fifty thousand people died and more than a hundred thousand people were injured in the earthquake. Despite all the difficulties, all the existing capacity of our country was quickly directed to the earthquake zone and great devotion was exerted to provide all the health services that our disaster-stricken citizens needed. Primary health care services, which have continued from the first day of the earthquake to the present day, continue to be provided without interruption. In this presentation, the services carried out by the Ministry of Health within the scope of coordination of public health services, the difficulties encountered and the solution suggestions for similar situations afterwards will be discussed.

About Assoc. Prof. Dr. Süleyman Özsarı

He was born in Burdur in 1981. He completed his primary, secondary and high school education in the Ereğli district of Konya. After graduating from Selçuk University Meram Faculty of Medicine, he did his military service as a Second Lieutenant at Izmir Uzunada Naval Forces Command and then he served as an institutional physician at the MKE General Directorate, as a Family Medicine Specialist in the Department of Family Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at Ankara University, as the Family Medicine Branch Officer at Bolu Provincial Health Directorate, and as the Head of Bolu Public Health Services at the Ministry of Health. He served as the Deputy Director General of Public Health at the Ministry of Health between August 2022 and 2024. He is currently a faculty member at the Department of Family Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University. He has taken part in many studies and projects related to primary care.

Experiences of academics and health personnel working in the field after the February earthquakes

Disasters, especially natural disasters, can be particularly challenging for academics and healthcare personnel because they are unprepared for these processes. Healthcare personnel who are earthquake victims can suddenly face a very serious workload. In such an unprepared period, healthcare personnel may have difficulties such as trying to help patients, reliving the same fears with the aftershocks that occur one after another, and coping with feelings of guilt because they cannot be with their families. In terms of academics, the education and theses of assistants and students are disrupted in such a chaotic environment. The deadlines are extended. While life continues in the rest of the world, articles are published, and people rush to different trainings, everything stops in the disaster area and that part of the time is spent only meeting humanitarian needs.

About Assoc. Prof. Dr. Raziye Şule Gümüştakım

Dr Raziye Şule Gümüştakım is head of the family medicine department at Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University Medical Faculty for six years. Dr Gümüştakım is a medical doctor specialising in Family Medicine and she is Associate of Professor at this area. At the same time, she completed her associate degree in Health Institutions Management and is currently a senior student in the bachelor degree of Healthcare Management. She has professional experience spanning more than 12 years in the field of family medicine. She has worked as a manager, researcher, practitioner in different places. She is a member of the EGPRN. She is also a member of the TAHUD international high commission. Dr Gümüştakım, who is also a member of the clinical ethics committee, is on the editorial board of the University journal. Dr. Gümüştakım, who has participated in many national and international congresses, has more than 100 reports presented in these congresses and has received awards for these reports. She personally experienced the earthquake centered in Kahramanmaraş in 2023 and still resides in Kahramanmaraş. Numerous specialty thesis researches have been conducted on this event in the family medicine department on disasters and the process of publishing these theses as articles is ongoing. Along with her scientific career, she has published more than 50 research papers in journals, and she is a regular lecturer in Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University Medical Faculty.

 

Date: 
20 November 2024
Location: 
Virtual