Hong Kong doctor who joined quake relief efforts in Turkey last year shares her story in hopes others will join future missions
- Dr Cecilia Fan hopes sharing her experiences of helping survivors after last February’s earthquake in Turkey will encourage more medical specialists to join relief efforts
- Medical veteran at Hong Kong’s Department of Health also honoured in Beijing by National Health Commission for contributions to rescue mission
A doctor who joined Hong Kong’s search and rescue efforts in Turkey following an earthquake last February has shared her experiences of working in a disaster zone in the hopes of convincing more medical practitioners to volunteer.
Dr Cecilia Fan Yuen-man, who was earlier honoured for her contributions, said talking to medical workers and students in sharing sessions had also reassured potential joiners that they could count on their families for support in such difficult situations.
“Our team members shared that their family members were also worried about their safety when they headed to Turkey, but once they realised the thing that the team is doing is very meaningful, everyone became very supportive,” she said.
“This sharing made [the attendees] realise that they will still receive support from their family even if they find it dangerous, which means that this issue can be overcome.”
The family medicine consultant, who has worked with the Department of Health for 31 years, said Hong Kong had no shortage of top medical talent suited to humanitarian work, but encouraging people to join and bringing together them was the hardest part.
Fan, 55, was among 59 rescuers sent to Turkey early last year to help recover survivors after the country was struck by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that killed tens of thousands in the region.
