Glasgow GP desperate to help Turkey earthquake victims with aid appeal

Dr Cemal Kavasogullari, from Izmir but now lives in the Southside, has been left horrified after finding out people he knew back home are still unaccounted for.

It comes after a huge earthquake hit Turkey and Syria three days ago with the death toll now exceeding 16,000 people.

The disaster also left more than 60,000 injured while tens of thousands are thought to have lost their homes.

Dr Cemal Kavasogrullari and his business partner Alp Oganalp (Image: Sourced)

The earthquake has caused major devastation (Image: Sourced)

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Now, 37-year-old Dr Kavasogullari wants to help those suffering by collecting donations for survivors at Est-Ethics Wellness Clinic on Ingram Street in Glasgow.

He told the Glasgow Times he feels “lucky” that his immediate friends and family are okay, but is devastated to know people are still badly affected.

Dr Kavasogullari said: “The level of desperation on the ground out there is awful right now, it is so much worse than people even realise.

The Glasgow clinic is desperate to help (Image: Sourced)

“I am Turkish so I’m well connected to the community, and they have been telling me they really need our help.

“People I know have been directly affected by the earthquake, people who are under rubble or unaccounted for, it is horrible.

“Luckily my immediate family and friends are okay, but we still need to help others.

“The worst part is not being able to go over there and do anything, so we decided to collect donations here to send over.

“I know what is happening over there which is the driving force for really wanting to make a difference.”

Dr Kavasogullari studied medicine in Glasgow after moving to Scotland in 2012.

He has been left overwhelmed along with his business partner Alp Oganalp at the generosity of their community.

They have been inundated with items to send over to Turkey in a bid to help survivors rebuild their lives.

Now they are focusing on raising money to pay for medical supplies to help injured victims recover as soon as possible.

They have set up a JustGiving page with a target of £15,000 and have already raised more than £4000.

People warm up with fire in front of destroyed buildings in Antakya, southern Turkey (Image: Sourced)

Dr Kavasogullari said: “The community has just been amazing, we have filled up two rooms in the clinic so quickly.

“We were focused on the basics at first, then tried to gather baby food, sanitary products and thermal underwear.

“Now we have that stuff and will work on sending it over to be distributed to those who need it, so we are focusing on JustGiving now.

“We want to raise money for medical supplies like IV fluids and antiseptic wipes to help injured people.

“Our community is strong and coming together to help, it is amazing to see."

You can donate to Dr Cemal Kavasogrullari’s appeal here.