There is a lot that health workers can do before an earthquake!

Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine and Medical Students Association Club held a panel titled "What the February 6 Earthquake Made You Think". Chaired by Üsküdar University Vice Rector Hikmet Koçak, the panel was attended by Prof. Mehmet Şükrü Sever, a faculty member of İstanbul University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, and Prof. Lale Sever, a faculty member of Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine Sciences, Department of Pediatrics.

The panel, which attracted great interest from the students, was held in the İbn-i Sina Auditorium.

Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine Dean Prof. Haydar Sur also participated in the panel.

Prof. Hikmet Koçak: "There is a lot that healthcare professionals can do before an earthquake occurs"

Pointing out that there is a lot to do before the earthquake happens, Üsküdar University Vice Rector Prof. Hikmet Koçak said that "There is a lot that health workers can do before an earthquake happens. We are trying to convey whatever we can. As a science center and as a healthcare professional, we think about what we can do when we encounter such a disaster. Our department is a department that gains importance after an earthquake occurs, and of course, there is a lot we can do before it happens. Therefore, it is up to us to explain what needs to be done."

Prof. Mehmet Şükrü Sever: "Health personnel must provide information about disaster medicine"

Talking about disaster medicine and stating that it is very important for health personnel to provide information on this subject, İstanbul University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrology Department faculty member Prof. Mehmet Şükrü Sever said that "I talk a lot about disaster medicine and crush syndrome, both domestically and internationally. Türkiye is a country of earthquakes. We are often faced with earthquakes and disasters from all over the country. If these disasters are on a very large scale and cannot be dealt with locally, if there is a need to get help from the environment or even from other countries, then we are really talking about disasters. There are many different classifications of disasters; however, the simplest and most frequently used can be called natural and man-made artificial disasters. In natural disasters, there are earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes, which are quite frequent in South America. For this reason, it is important for every health personnel to provide information about disaster medicine."

"Our research on the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes continues"

Informing on crush syndrome, Prof. Mehmet Şükrü Sever underlined that disaster victims carry a lifelong risk even if they have recovered. Sever stated that "Our investigations on the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes are still ongoing. There are between two thousand and three thousand patients with crush syndrome, which we think is between two thousand and three thousand. Many factors are effective in the emergence of crush syndrome. Of course, the severity of the disaster, the population density of the region, that is, as much violence as it wants in a vast desert, there will not be much crush syndrome. In disaster victims, sometimes those who are exposed to complete trauma lose their lives without being able to hide at all. Partially recovered disaster victims, on the other hand, have a lifelong risk."

Prof. Lale Sever: "Children require special care and a different perspective in disasters"

Drawing attention to the importance of trauma experienced in children during and after the earthquake, Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medical Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, faculty member Prof. Lale Sever stated that "Children are one of the most vulnerable or vulnerable groups in disasters. Pregnant women and the elderly come later. Children are a copy of the grown-ups, not a mini version of them. Children's physical characteristics and physiological characteristics are different, and even their psychological characteristics are different from adults. Children require special care and a different perspective in disasters. If there are sick children, both acutely ill and chronically ill children, they need more trained health personnel. When a child becomes a disaster victim, he or she can be injured or killed. One is fully recovered, but their psychological problems continue. Children who have never been injured can be completely healthy, just like adults, and their psychological problems can be carried to the later stages of their lives."

After the questions of the students were answered, flowers were presented to the speakers.

The panel ended with a group photo.

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)