A comprehensive health economic analysis of the 2023 Turkey earthquake

Abstract

Earthquakes can have long-term devastating health and economic effects. On February 6, 2023, Kahramanmaras, located in Southern Turkey, was hit by 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes, which affected 11 cities and about 15 million people. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced a Grade 3 Emergency, requiring a major response because the health care delivery system was degraded and the health care supply chain disrupted. It is important to be prepared to implement policy actions immediately in such unpredictable events. This paper provides an overview of the economic and health status of the earthquake-affected area and the policy implications of the earthquakes to identify their effects and the region’s needs. The lessons learned can provide suggestions to strengthen disaster response mechanisms. The paper, which reports one of the leading studies on the 2023 earthquake, also contributes to the relatively limited health economics literature on the issue by taking a multidisciplinary approach. The results demonstrate that economic responses and health responses to an earthquake are inextricably linked.