Qatar medical volunteers head to Syria to perform complex surgeries

[QRCS]

The first 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria last Monday morning.

A second volunteer medical team is departing for Syria to carry out difficult surgical procedures on victims of the earthquake, the Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) announced.

According to QRCS, a team of 13 volunteer doctors has arrived in Turkey and is on its way to northern Syria. The doctors have extensive experience handling complex cases and work in a range of surgical and medical specialties.

Eight doctors from the first medical team will now be joined by the second team to perform delicate surgeries in hospitals in northern Syria.

The number of fatalities from the earthquakes last week has surpassed 37,000.

According to Turkish authorities, 31,643 people have died there, while over the border in Syria, the UN and government statistics show more than 5,814 people have been killed.

Some 4,400 of fatalities in Syria were concentrated in the north of the country, according to the UN relief agency, OCHA.

Days after the tragedy, Syria’s embatteld Bashar Al-Assad finally agreed to two additional Turkey border crossings being used by the UN to deliver aid to northwest Syria regions controlled by rebels.

The White Helmets in Syria are receiving logistical support from the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) to assist in rescuing earthquake victims from beneath the rubble.

By helping with the search, medical, and logistical operations, the assistance aims to support the heroic team in Syria as they continue their work and rescue victims.

The White Helmets will be able to continue offering the assistance they urgently require to address the catastrophic humanitarian crisis that has arisen as a result of the earthquake thanks to the recent Qatari support.

The main objective of the project is to help search and rescue teams respond quicker, rescue people currently buried beneath the rubble, and recover bodies.

This assistance will also take care of urgently required repairs for ambulances that are currently operating around-the-clock to transport injured people to hospitals. It will also help meet the urgent fuel needs for operating the vehicles.

The funding will also go towards tasks deemed as crucial for the reconstruction of the affected regions and critical infrastructure.