A Doctor Returning from a Mission in Turkey You Won't Get Such Experience in Any Exercise, Although There Will Be a Lack of It in Lithuania

"We all miss our loved ones, food, shower and bed We have descended to primitive desires, which you don't appreciate and to which you naturally get used to, but you start to re-evaluate when you see that someone doesn't have it and soon won't have it," said Greta Beinaravičiūtė, a doctor at the Kaunas City Emergency Medical Service Station.

G Beinaravičiūtė has just returned home from Turkey, which was hit by a strong earthquake, together with four other colleagues - the doctors and paramedics of the Kaunas General Hospital of the City of Kaunas - and the Lithuanian International Assistance Team (LERT).

The Lithuanian team has been conducting search and rescue operations in the city of Adijaman since February 10th A few days ago, 21 international search and rescue teams were working here in the ruins, and in recent days 17 teams have continued their work.

In total, there were about 90 such teams in Turkey after the earthquake Lithuanian international aid teams pulled out the bodies of 7 dead people from the collapsed buildings.

Employees of the Kaunas City Emergency Medical Service provided the necessary medical assistance to locals and rescuers at the scene of the accident We spoke with LRT.

lt interviewer G Beinaravičiūta while she and other members of the Lithuanian rescue team were in Istanbul, waiting for a flight to Lithuania.

According to the interviewee, together with her colleagues, she knew exactly where she was going, so from the first day in Turkey, the whole team got into a new routine “[We quickly got] into that life outside, in a tent, no shower.

We all knew where we were going, what we were going for and what the conditions would be like," said the doctor of the Kaunas City Emergency Medical Service Station (EMSS) A total of 5 employees of Kaunas GMPS went to Turkey.

They were part of the LERT team, which had to provide the necessary medical assistance to both local residents and rescue workers "Our team, that is five medics, went to provide medical aid (either to local residents who were pulled out of the ruins alive, or to rescuers, if something happened) - that's what we did.

We worked there in three shifts the whole time All the time, 2-3 medics were on duty at the scene, waiting for our help to be needed.

Thank God, the family members did not need much help There were only minor incidents.

Due to working in difficult conditions with a lot of dust, we had to wash our eyes, and a dog (a rescuer who searches for people in the ruins) was injured There were some local patients, but also with simple ailments: headaches, stomachaches," - the doctor who worked there told about the daily life of the week-long mission in Turkey.

According to her, there was a "standby mode" for the whole week, but they avoided extreme experiences "Since we are not rescue firefighters, we do not go to the scene to perform rescue work ourselves.

There are really dangerous places where you need to be specially trained and have an understanding of how to work," the interviewer added Together with doctors and rescuers from other countries, the team from Lithuania stayed in one of the towns marked by the tragedy.

"We were based in an abandoned school After pitching our tents, we had a tent to eat, a light shower, ie water from a box.

That's how we lived We really lived in a tent", laughed G.

Beinaravičiūtė It was the first time that the doctor, who has been working at the kaunas medical center for many years, was on a rescue mission abroad.

According to her, the reality is completely different from what we see in pictures or TV reports "Of course, we knew where we were going.

But the experience is priceless To see those images, to feel how the locals live.

We probably haven't had time to digest all the emotions we feel We are still in Turkey (the interview took place on February 15 - LRT.

lt) But little by little, after the adrenaline subsides, fatigue sets in," said the doctor who was in Turkey, adding that both she and her colleagues have no doubts: if necessary, they would definitely go to Turkey again.

According to G Beinaravičiūtė, the locals who survived the wrath of the elements were surprised by their empathy.

"All their houses have been destroyed, so the survivors live as they know how: in tents, some just make a campfire on the street and stay near it, those who still have intact cars live in them " Moods, naturally, sad, depressing.

A small part has already received news about their loved ones, others are still waiting for the bodies Despite this, local residents are very concerned about rescuers.

That was really surprising Having nothing ourselves, having lost our homes and loved ones, they always make sure we are fed, bring tea, a bun, and offer cigarettes as they pass by.

They are focused on helping each other and taking care of the rescuers," said the Lithuanian Rescuers and medical workers from various countries came to help Turkey, which experienced a tragedy.

According to the interviewee of LRT lt, in the area where Lithuanians were settled, they worked side by side with Czechs, Poles, Bangladeshis, French, and Danes.

"I probably forgot to list some of them, many countries are really gathered there," remarked G Beinaravičiūtė, adding that most of the teams that came there had special preparation, how to work during natural disasters.

Proper preparation for mass disasters should be a matter of the state "There are no earthquakes, large floods, hurricanes, or typhoons in Lithuania Basically, we are in a very convenient place, but that's probably why we don't talk too much about what would happen if something similar happened in Lithuania.

Naturally, a very small percentage [of material] is included in the preparation of knowledge about such things (natural disasters) by the doctors themselves And in order to know how to react and behave, only theoretical knowledge is not enough.

This also requires exercises and practical experiences, which we could renew at least every few years Such teams, which would be trained [and could, if necessary, train others], are also needed here," said a member of the Lithuanian team who returned from the rescue mission in Turkey.

At the moment, the institutions or organizations themselves are engaged in this, but a common state strategy would also be needed, says the interviewee "Now we see a lot of small initiatives.

Some institutions, such as the Kaunas City Medical Center, organize themselves, for example, mass disaster rescue training However, this should also be a state strategy, so that at least there is a group of people who are constantly updating their knowledge, such a team that would be ready to leave and perform their duties in Lithuania, [if such an accident happens]", said the Kaunas GMPS medic, recalling , that the people of Kaunas had the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained during the theoretical training in practice during the huge fire that took place in Jonava last October.

At that time, a nursing home for the elderly in this city, where almost 100 people of various ages live and work, was on fire Together with the firefighters and rescuers, who worked on the spot in Kaunas.

For the first time, GMPS medics used the recently purchased and so far the only resuscitation vehicle available in Lithuania for mass disasters "We went to Turkey together with the Lithuanian International Assistance Team (LERT).

They definitely had more practice and prepared for cases like Turkey However, like us, he went for the first time and performed rescue work in reality, not in exercises," said the interviewer.

LRT lt reminds that strong earthquakes shook the territory of Turkey and Syria on February 9.

More than a week after the earthquake, the death toll in the turkey-syria border region has exceeded 40,000 "We went to Turkey together with the Lithuanian International Assistance Team (LERT).

They definitely had more practice and prepared for cases like Turkey However, like us, he went for the first time and performed rescue work in reality, not in exercises," said the interviewer.

LRT lt reminds that strong earthquakes shook the territory of Turkey and Syria on February 9.

More than a week after the earthquake, the death toll in the turkey-syria border region has exceeded 40,000 "We went to Turkey together with the Lithuanian International Assistance Team (LERT).

They definitely had more practice and prepared for cases like Turkey However, like us, he went for the first time and performed rescue work in reality, not in exercises," said the interviewer.

LRT lt reminds that strong earthquakes shook the territory of Turkey and Syria on February 9.

More than a week after the earthquake, the death toll in the turkey-syria border region has exceeded 40,000 that strong earthquakes shook the territory in Turkey and Syria on February 9.

More than a week after the earthquake, the death toll in the turkey-syria border region has exceeded 40,000 that strong earthquakes shook the territory in Turkey and Syria on February 9.

More than a week after the earthquake, the death toll in the turkey-syria border region has exceeded 40,000 .