RIYADH: More than 4,200 Saudi medics have registered to help quake survivors in Turkey and Syria, the chief of Saudi aid told Arab News, as relief efforts continue in the most affected areas.
Around 50,000 people are known to have died in the Feb. 6 earthquake, which reduced dozens of towns to rubble. Hundreds of thousands more people are left with nothing and many are sleeping in tents or in the open in winter conditions.
Saudi teams were among the first foreign responders to reach the affected area hours after the tremor struck. The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center quickly established an air bridge to send plane-loads of aid to both countries.
The quake and the response dominated this week’s Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum, which was hosted by KSrelief and the UN.
KSrelief Supervisor-General Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeah announced $49 million of aid to help house survivors and provide health care.
With respect to Saudi response to both Syria and Turkiye, I’m proud of it.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, KSrelief supervisor-general
The Saudi teams deployed to 20 regions in Syria and Turkey are “internationally certified responders,” Al-Rabeeah said in an interview during the Riyadh forum.
Supervisor-General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and relief Centre Abdullah Al-Rabeeah. (AFP file photo)
They are joined by the more than 4,200 Saudi medical professionals who have volunteered, he said.
“We thank and respect those who have offered and registered their names. We would love to use them all,” he told Arab News. He added that the number of those who would be immediately sent to the field would depend on what kind of assistance was most urgent.
Six Saudi medical convoys are also being sent.
“I would expect myself that on the medical side, especially emergency medical responders, trauma doctors, orthopaedists, or bone doctors, neurosurgeons and also servers related to children will be one of the top priorities,” Al-Rabeeah said.
“At the later stage, mental health and mental counseling will be important because of the magnitude of trauma that has happened.”
The public has also been generous in response to the disaster. In addition to official aid, an online campaign for quake victims run by KSrelief has as of Friday collected over $120 million in private donations.
“I thank the government and also the private donors for their generous donations, and also thank the teams from KSrelief, Saudi Red Crescent and Saudi Civil Defense. All of these experts have been one of the first people to be helping on the ground,” Al-Rabeeah said.
“With respect to Saudi response to both Syria and Turkey, I’m proud of it.”
