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British Army medic impressed by resilience of Turkish people following quakes


British Army Airborne medics had some unforgettable experiences while treating earthquake victims at a medical facility in Türkiye's Kahramanmaras province, the epicenter of the massive Feb. 6 tremors.

A total of 100 soldiers, including 70 clinical staff from the 16 Medical Regiment based in Colchester, England, arrived in Türkiye on Feb. 14 to provide treatment for those affected by the earthquakes that struck the south of the country.

Maj. Sean Mason, 35, the officer commanding the medical group, has been in charge of medics and facilities established in the Turkoglu district of Kahrmanmaras.

Mason said he was impressed by the resilience of the Turkish people despite the terrible situation they found themselves facing.

"The situation here and what the Turkish people have had to go through after the earthquake has been really quite profound. It's been heartening certainly for me and my soldiers," he told Anadolu in an interview.

The British medical team provided some technical equipment, including X-rays and radiography, which was temporarily unavailable to Turkish doctors on the first days after the quake.

"The Turkish medical team and the UK emergency medical team were already intercompany when we arrived in Kahramanmaras. We also bring another number of other experts, in terms of general practitioner doctors, and just our junior medics are able to help out, that you need to run a hospital or medical facility."

He praised the capability of the Turkish healthcare system despite it facing a patient overload following the twin earthquakes.

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