New Delhi: India's Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has played an important role in sending humanitarian medical assistance to quake-hit Syria and Turkey.

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya highlighted the efforts of the Union Health Ministry to provide emergency relief materials to Turkey and Syria in a tweet on Tuesday.

He stated that “India is providing assistance to the two countries in the spirit of its age-old tradition of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”.

On Feb 6, 2023 when two powerful earthquakes hit Syria and Turkey, 3 truck load of relief materials were arranged at Hindon airbase consisting of life saving emergency medicines and protective items within 12 hours.

Trucks started reaching by 10:00 am on 7th Feb, 2023, and handing over of the relief items to the Indian Air Force (IAF) begun by 04:00 pm.

The last truck load reached by 09:30 pm and the flight departed to Syria with emergency relief material on the same day by 10:00 pm for the relief operation.

The consignment consisted of 5,945-ton emergency relief material which included 27 life-saving medicines, two kinds of protective items and three categories of critical care equipments, valued at approximately Rs 2 crore.

On Feb 10, a bigger lot of relief materials was arranged for both Turkey and Syria.

The consignment for Syria consisted of 72 critical care drugs, consumables and protective items of 7.3 tons, valued at Rs 1.4 crore. Relief materials sent for Turkiye included 14 types of medical and critical care equipments, valued at Rs 4 crore.