Lushan quake victims in capable hands

The magnitude-7.0 quake in Southwestern China's Sichuan province has caused a sudden influx of patients in hospitals around the province. The province's best hospital, Huaxi hospital, has received more than 200 patients since Saturday. It is prepared to treat more in the coming couple of days.

Quake victims are rushed in to the Huaxi Hospital. Most are coming from the Lushan and Baoxing counties, two worst hit region in the quake.

One of them is Yue Yongbin. Both his parents were out in the field when the quake struck. The family's houses crumbled in a matter of minutes. And Yue Yongbin narrowly escaped the disaster, but is left with bone fractures on both feet.

Yue said, "I just woke up when the earthquake struck. Our houses, which were built in the 1980s, collapsed. It's lucky that my whole family is safe. "

Yue Yongbin is among the 228 patients being treated here since Saturday. Many of them have suffered from a varying degree of bone fractures, head injuries, and crush injuries.

The hospital is bearing the full medical cost and provide free accommodations for their relatives.

Pei Fuxing heads the Orthopedics Department, where most the patients are concentrated. He went to every ward to check on their conditions day. Pei said the most valuable lesson learned from quake relief is to set up a board recording and updating each patient's conditions.

Pei said, "This board lists all patients from the earthquake, their age, conditions and method of treatment. So our work could be more targeted and effective. Meanwhile, before each patient is admitted, all surgeons will participate in a discussion on the best treatment, and we are very cautious about amputation."

A sixteen-member expert group from the Ministry of Health has arrived in Huaxi Hospital Monday morning. Doctor Lin Jin spoke highly of the medical treatment here.

Lin said, "Overall I think patients here received timely treatment. The medical rescue is conducted in an orderly fashion, and varies according to the degrees of injuries. They are very experienced. The patients are in reliable hands."

The department has prepared another one hundred beds, on top of the current two hundreds one, to cope with the influx of patients.

Special report: 7.0-magnitude earthquake jolts Ya'an