Ad Antioch “the situation is dramatic, a devastated city”. So at time.news Salute Sara Montemerani, specialized doctor in emergency medicine, he says his work amidst the rubble of the earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria. There are many rescue teams from Italy to try to save those who are still under the rubble. The doctor, associate of the Sime (Italian Society of Emergency-Urgency Medicine) arrived in Turkey immediately after the terrible earthquake. The team that Montemerani is part of managed to save a young nurse stuck under the rubble of a collapsed building. Is there a risk of infectious disease outbreaks? “The risk of infections increases progressively in the days following the disaster. The next few weeks will also be challenging on this front”, she concludes.
Heartbreaking images of children arrive in Italy, “unfortunately we find many deceased. Only a few injured”, says the doctor. After how many days does the hope of finding survivors under the rubble end? “Normally within a few days it is unlikely to find survivors under the rubble – she replies – However, there have been past experiences that have shown that in reality the survival rate can be higher than expected even after some time. Therefore hope remains alive”.
What are the main difficulties you have to face as doctors and nurses? “In a mission abroad, certainly the language barrier and the local health organization,” observes Montemerani. What is mainly missing? Food? Waterfall? Equipment? Medicines? “Being a team also organized to work on missions abroad, a supply of basic supplies is foreseen. Of course – he concludes – the first days of taking office are still demanding and difficult because there is also a lack of local territory resources”.