Today’s earthquake is a major blow to millions of people on Syrian territory and on the border with Turkey. As the European Commission’s Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has already highlighted, the scale, severity and complexity of the needs across Syria are already overwhelming, with a population that has been conflict-affected for more than a decade and is beginning to disappear from the international agenda.
The devastating economic situation, insufficient rainfall and severe drought conditions that have caused food insecurity, water crises and cholera outbreaks have only added to this humanitarian ordeal and this earthquake will exacerbate it.
Médecins du Monde stands with the Turkish and Syrian people who are reeling from the devastating effects of the deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria.
Present in the area
The teams of the International Network of Médecins du Monde present in both regions are moving towards the worst affected areas, while the toll so far is in the hundreds of dead and thousands injured – figures that are unfortunately likely to rise in the coming hours.
Médecins du Monde teams are already mobilising to provide immediate assistance in the affected areas, where they will provide medical care and all the basic necessities for the victims. Emergency teams and survival kits have already been dispatched to the affected areas from Médecins du Monde offices in Izmir and Istanbul.
Médecins du Monde has been working in the region for several years now, actively supporting the local authority to guarantee access to primary health care services, in 14 health centres and mobile clinics covering a population of around 900,000 people in north-eastern Syria. In addition, they are providing direct health services in the north-west of the country in 12 health centres, assisting over one million people.