Follow the latest on the earthquake in Turkey
The UAE's 50-bed hospital, which will be equipped with a CAT scanner and X-ray machine, has arrived at Gaziantep Airport, the Ministry of Defence said.
The field hospital will be set up in Hatay province, Turkey’s ambassador to the UAE said on Wednesday.
The coastal province borders north-western Syria and is among the areas worst-affected by the deadliest earthquake in more than a decade that has killed more than 17,000 people in Turkey and Syria.
The arrival of the medical installation brings the total number of aid flights dispatched via an air bridge from the UAE to 22, the ministry said, including seven flights to Syria.
The planes have carried 640 tonnes of humanitarian aid for both countries, which included food and medical supplies. The ministry said 515 tents were sent to Syria to offer temporary shelter to those affected by the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks.
The field hospital for Turkey includes many of the specialities found in a modern healthcare centre, including an emergency department, intensive care unit, operation theatres, inpatient wards, a laboratory, a pharmacy and outpatient clinics.
The hospital will be manned by specialised medical teams from the UAE, including general surgery, orthopaedics, anaesthesia, intensive care, and emergency general doctors and technicians from various medical specialities, the ministry said.
The UAE successfully set up similar sites across the Emirates in the early stage of the fight against Covid-19. The largest was a 1,200-bed field hospital at Dubai Parks and Resorts.
Field hospitals were also set up in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Ajman.
