SEPANG: The Malaysian Field Hospital (HMM) that will be built in Turkiye to provide medical services to earthquake victims in the country is expected to be operational on Wednesday (Feb 15).
Joint Force Commander Lt Gen Datuk Noor Mohamad Akmar Mohd Dom said the HMM will offer Level 1 and Level 2 medical services including surgeries.
He said the first batch of personnel was waiting for orders to move to the disaster area to set up the HMM in Celikhan, Adiyaman.
"Yesterday, the second batch involving a total of 34 personnel took off on a Turkish Airlines aircraft and arrived safely today at Istanbul International Airport at 10.44am local time (3.44pm Malaysian time).
"They will wait for the arrival of the third batch and board the A400M plane to Gaziantep Airport together and then head for the HMM site by road," he told a media conference at the KLIA, here Saturday (Feb 11) night.
He added that the medical logistics which involved 7.3 tonnes of assets were flown to Turkiye using Mas Kargo aircraft.
"HMM is expected to spend about six weeks in Turkiye but the period will be extended if necessary and depending on the situation.
"HMM will be located in Celikhan which is 152km from Gaziantep which is the worst affected area," he said.
He said the deployment of HMM is with the assistance of the Turkish government, the Foreign Ministry and the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).
Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry West Asia Division secretary Datuk Zahairi Baharim confirmed that the 16 Malaysians who were in Gaziantep were safe with eight of them having left the scene and the rest assisting the Malaysian rescue team.
On the 28 Malaysian students who were in Syria when the earthquake struck, he said all of them were in the city and thus not affected. - Bernama
