Israel’s Attack and Forensic Medicine Process Experienced

 The evaluation process after the attack of the victims that were killed and wounded once again unveiled the importance of the discipline and practice of the forensic medicine. We think that sharing the advantages and evokes of the process that was carried out with the solidarity of academics, specialists and assistants to our field of specialisation will pave the path to benefit from this experience in the face of a new “exceptional situation” in the field of forensic medicine.

• It is pleasing that all the evaluation process was tried to be carried out according to the international standards (Istanbul Protocol) that describes our scientific accumulation of our field and that we contributed in its constitution process in which Human Rights Foundation of Turkey had a leading role, and also adoption of the protocol by all the institutions. The process makes all the evaluations in Turkey obligatory to be carried out according to the “Istanbul Protocol”.
• It is understood once again that Istanbul Protocol training which was given to approximately 4000 physicians and scientists and caused change of attitude and behaviour, should immediately be organized for forensic medicine specialists and assistants and these topics should be included in the curriculum of specialisation training programmes.
• We mentioned several times for years that human resources that were trained in forensic medicine services should benefit from this kind of trainings. In this process it is gratifying that our warnings were taken into account in a broad spectrum from academics to specialists and assistants.  It became clear that Turkish Medical Association (TTB), Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, and our society of specialisation should cooperate and contribute to the process in regard with benefiting from the human resources that were trained on Istanbul Protocol in the evaluation processes to come.
• In the evaluation process Forensic Medicine Institute (ATK) worked together with several NGOs in an unprecedented way and ATK was opened to civilians. This development raised hope. We will monitor this demand reiterating once again that all the State institutions foremost ATK, should cooperate with vocational associations, specialisation associations and NGOs without taking into account of their relation with political affiliations and should give them the value they deserve.
• “Exceptional Situation” is conceptualised as “emergencies in the field of health that exceed the resources in terms of human power and facilities”. The situation that was experienced points out the importance of vocational retraining on “exceptional situations” in the training and services of forensic medicine. We will set out the necessary studies for the evaluation of the experience we advantaged in this matter in a scientific framework.
• Early and effective intervention to crisis in “Exceptional Situation” is essential.  Planning, execution of crisis by competent and experienced institutes and people is the first step to reduce the problems that could be faced with. Ways for the prediction and evaluation of “Exceptional Situation” in normal conditions should be opened without rendering them daily practices. In Turkey TTB’s and our society of specialisation’s experiences in this fields makes it necessary to institute and maintain the institutional cooperation for the new “Exceptional Situations” that could be faced with. Our society of specialisation underlines once again that it is ready to cooperate to execute and maintain the institutional cooperation in a new “exceptional situation”.
• Independent execution of the evaluation of torture and violation of human rights is the most important safeguard of the national and international exercise of jurisdiction. The spirit of Istanbul Protocol compels us to benefit from the trained human resources as well as benefit from the health environment in terms of resources and facilities. Moreover it is mentioned that it should be primarily practiced even in exceptional situations. It is once again understood with the evaluation process of the trauma cases that were conducted in Forensic Medicine Institute that forensic medicine services is a health service with its evaluation, treatment, consultation and examination processes and should be/must be given in health institutes. We would like to remind all the authorities that we need hospitals and universities and the health institutes should be ordered to give the forensic medicine services in scientific standards.

As a society of specialisation, we would like to thank all our colleagues for their voluntary support that interfered the “exceptional situation” and we would like to mention that we will maintain our support for the maintenance of the cooperation that they created with team spirit in institutional terms and in scientific framework.

Executive Board of the Society of Forensic Medicine Specialists (ATUD)