WHO Director-General Ghebreyesus meets Health Minister Koca in Hatay
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visits field hospital in Hatay, southern Türkiye, Feb. 28, 2023. (AA Photo)


World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited a field hospital in Hatay along with Health Minister Farhettin Koca on Tuesday.

"I would like to state that we, as the World Health Organization, are ready to provide every assistance in line with the priorities conveyed to us. Also, I would like to draw attention to the fact that this earthquake and its impact are really massive," Ghebreyesus said.

WHO earlier released $3 million from the Contingency Fund for Emergencies to assist Syria and Türkiye, after the pair of devastating earthquakes on Feb. 6.

These and hundreds of aftershocks caused significant destruction on each side of the border, claiming thousands of lives across both countries and damaging or destroying essential infrastructure, including health facilities.

"These have been some of the strongest earthquakes to hit the region in a century, prompting a global humanitarian response including from WHO and other United Nations partners at the request of the Turkish government," as per a WHO statement earlier.