Action Line #90606 -- Emergencies Off Base

  • Published
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Complaint: 

Last Saturday I was with my husband getting our nail's done at one of the beauty salons outside the gate (Alley). Apparently, my husband suffered a heat stroke and was unconscious for about a minute. I was calling for an ambulance and nobody seemed to care until one of the Turkish people at the shop said he was calling an ambulance from Adana but it will take some time. I asked him to call the ambulance on base and he said the ambulance on base does not go off base for emergencies. I was wondering if someone can tell me what would be the correct procedure for calling an ambulance that will not take more than 20 or 30 minutes to arrive; critical time for someone suffering from a stroke. Is there any kind of emergency service outside in Incirlik Village without calling to Adana for an Ambulance?

Your answer will be kindly appreciated.

Response: 

The NATO Status of Force Agreement (SOFA) only permits the use of U.S. medical personnel and equipment for emergency response within their respective areas of responsibility only, which in this case is confined to the limits of Incirlik Air Base.

Turkish law also strictly regulates operation of ambulances and emergency health vehicles. Operating US ambulances off base would not only violation the NATO SOFA agreement with our host country and Turkish law; it would also subject ambulance crews to legal liability when responding to off-base emergencies even for U.S. citizens or U.S. military members. These provisions, however, does not apply to the transfer of patients from the on base clinic to or from a local Turkish Hospital as this is not considered an emergency response.

If you find a need for emergency services while off-base, here are two options for accessing Turkish emergency services:

- Dial 112 to call an ambulance anywhere in Turkey. This service is provided by the Ministry of Health in Turkey.

- Or call 02164449724 from anywhere in Turkey to reach a private mobile health service company (ambulance) which is closely affiliated with Acibadem Hospital for ambulance services. The caller will have the option of asking the ambulance crew to be transported to the nearest Acibadem Hospital, or depending on the severity of the case, they may be directly transported to the nearest medical facility for emergency treatment.