TRNC Prime Minister Üstel: Our healthcare workers mobilized with great dedication

Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Ünal Üstel reported that a significant mobilization occurred immediately after the ship accident off the coast of Kyrenia on August 30. In his statement, Üstel said, “In the first minutes of the maritime accident that occurred 7 days ago off the coast of Kyrenia, our healthcare workers mobilized with great dedication. Under the coordination of our Ministry of Health, 21 ambulances and 63 personnel were swiftly dispatched to the port, and 25 doctors and 30 nurses began initial interventions at the scene. Our state, university, military, and private hospitals were simultaneously put on alert. All 239 of our people, who were rescued from the 267 passengers, were transferred to hospitals and underwent necessary examinations and health checks. Of these, 132 were hospitalized for further examination and treatment, and 4 of our injured were taken under intensive care,” he said.

Noting that 139 doctors and approximately 200 nurses and healthcare workers were on duty throughout the process, Üstel stated, “The triage, initial intervention, transfer, and treatments of our injured were carried out in a coordinated manner. Our teams, consisting of 19 psychiatry specialists and 17 clinical psychologists, also provided support to our injured, as well as to the relatives of those who lost their lives and those missing. As of September 5, 131 of our 132 injured who were hospitalized in public and university hospitals have been discharged. Only one of our injured continues to receive inpatient treatment, and their health condition is rapidly improving. None of our injured remain in intensive care. So far, we have lost 13 of our people in the accident. Search efforts to reach our 15 missing people continue uninterrupted on a 24/7 basis. We sincerely thank all our doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, psychologists, ambulance teams, and all health institutions that contributed to the process, who have worked with great dedication from the first minute to today in state, private, and university hospitals. Our state will continue to stand by our injured, our missing, and their families with all its means,” he concluded.