ISN Response to the Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria
The ISN is intensely saddened by the updates on the catastrophic earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Our thoughts are with the people affected by this tragedy, and our condolences go to the victims’ families and friends.
As a professional medical society, the ISN has been in active communication with kidney health professionals on the ground to identify their needs and mobilize necessary connections as they arise, be it with international aid organizations to garner specific medical supplies or with doctors and nurses specialized in crush victim response from around the world. These actions are primarily carried out through the ISN’s Renal Disaster Preparedness Working Group (RDPWG), whose role is to formulate preparedness plans for situations where there is disruption in the delivery of renal-related services in a region, and to guide the ISN in its advisory role in such situations.
Prof. Ali Abu-Alfa, a nephrologist in Lebanon and RDPWG’s current Deputy Chair, Prof. Serhan Tuglular from Turkey, incoming RDPWG Deputy Chair, fellow RDPWG Turkish members Prof. Rumeyza Kazancioglu and Dr. Sibel Bek, along with RDPWG fellow member Dr. Mohamed Sekkarie have been gathering vital information on the needs on the ground in Turkey and Syria, which then gets liaised via the ISN RDPWG members to aid organizations like MSF Belgium, IPNA, ESPN, UKKA and the WHO, as well as kidney care industry wanting to contribute supplies. The group also disseminates recommendations for the management of crush victims in mass disasters with doctors in the field.
Beyond this ongoing and vital collaboration, the ISN encourages its members to donate to the relief efforts in Turkey and Syria. Here is a list of international aid organizations involved in providing humanitarian assistance for Turkey and/or Syria.
