Patients left behind die in hospital after earthquake

After the earthquake in southeastern Turkey about a month ago, patients were reportedly left in a hospital and died – authorities now want to investigate.

“We have launched appropriate investigations into these and similar allegations,” Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Wednesday, according to state news agency Anadolu.

The daily “Sözcü” had previously reported that two days after the February 6 earthquake, patients were rescued from a hospital in Antakya, but 14 patients in intensive care were “forgotten”. They were connected to devices. After the earthquake, the electricity went out. Only a day after the rescue operation, other rescuers became aware of the patients left behind. Nine of them, including a baby, died and five others were rescued.

The head of the medical association in Hatay, Sevdar Yilmaz, called for an investigation of all hospitals in the province. He himself counted more than 50 bodies in a state hospital 30 hours after the quake, he said “Sözcü”.

The doctors’ association TTB doubts the official figures of the more than 46,000 earthquake victims in Turkey. “We don’t know how many bodies are still under the rubble,” said TTB boss Sebnem Korur Fincanci of the German news agency. “We estimate that the death toll is unfortunately much higher.” (sda/oee)