United States Department of Defense has provided Turkiye with an emergency field hospital and critical medical supplies to help survivors of the catastrophic earthquake.
According to the Department of Defense release, “United States Marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen worked around the clock to deliver an emergency field hospital from the continental United States to Incirlik Air Base” in Turkey, as part of the US continuing commitment to assisting the earthquake victims.
U.S. Naval Forces Europe, in coordination with Transportation Command, U.S. Northern Command, and Air Force Air Combat Command, facilitated the delivery of the field hospital.
“The field hospital is equipped with an emergency room, two operating rooms and an intensive care unit along with critically needed medical supplies, 100 beds, and equipment to ensure the functionality of the hospital,” the statement added.
U.S. Task Force 61/2 commanding general, Brig. Gen. Andrew Priddy said, “We are responding to the request for support from the Turkish government to provide a critical medical capability while the Turkish government rebuilds. I am proud of the professionalism with which the team has responded to assist our Turkish allies and friends who are suffering from the earthquake’s devastation.”
The U.S. DoD statement highlighted that U.S. service members, assigned to U.S. 6th Fleet’s Task Force 61/2, are working at the request of the Turkish Ministry of Health through the U.S. Agency for International Development to ensure the hospital is established and operational in the province of Hatay, one of Turkey’s most severely impacted areas.
The Marines of Task Force 61/2 and airmen from 39th Air Base Wing began setting up the hospital on February 25, which will take about a week. The U.S. forces will turn the facility over to the Turkish Ministry of Health once complete.
The hospital will provide Turkish medical professionals with “expanded capability to continue providing critical and urgent health care to the citizens of Turkey impacted by the devastating earthquakes,” the DoD statement read.
U.S. Marines, under operational control of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and U.S. 6th Fleet, are responding to the deadly 7.8 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes that devastated Turkey on February 6. Hours after the earthquake, U.S. Marines and sailors established a forward crisis response operations center at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, in close coordination with U.S. interagency partners and Turkish officials.
