The message below is forwarded from HIFA's sister forum, CHIFA (child health and rights), with thanks to Gonca Yilmaz, Turkey.
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"It's like we woke up to hell," said a father of three, whose family members were still beneath the rubble in Hatay, Türkiye.
The initial 7.7 magnitude devastating earthquake hit south-east Türkiye just after 4 am local time, when many children and families were asleep at home, with a second 7.5 magnitude earthquake hitting later in the day. The strength of the earthquakes resulted in entire neighborhoods being reduced to rubble. All relief efforts are very challenging due to blocked roads, damaged bridges, communications, power outages, food and water shortages. Dropped temperatures to near freezing at levels at nights are also adding to all challenges here. Many children and their rights have been affected by these devastating earthquakes. They are under the rubble with their pajamas, cold and suffering. Some of them lost their families and loved ones. They are in panic, anxiety and fear. Their schools, hospitals and other medical and educational facilities have been damaged or destroyed. Many of them will have post-traumatic stress disorder, depression later in their lives.
We are facing the most complex humanitarian crisis in the world.
Gonca MD, PhD, Türkiye International Society for Social Paediatrics and Child Health
CHIFA profile: Gonca Yilmaz is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Society for Social Paediatrics and Child Health. She is a social pediatrician in a training hospital in Ankara, Turkey, and has a postgraduate degree in Social Pediatrics. Her interests include child rights, child abuse and neglect management, well-child and baby care, and infant nutrition. She is a member of the CHIFA steering group. https://www.hifa.org/support/members/gonca Email: goncay AT gmail.com
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Join CHIFA (child health and rights): http://www.hifa.org/joinchifa
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community with more than 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages. HIFA brings together all stakeholders to accelerate progress towards universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based non-profit in official relations with the World Health Organization. neil@hifa.org
