Mobile hospital from Germany to be set up in Dujiangyan

Source: CCTV.com | 05-23-2008 19:51

A mobile hospital from Germany has arrived in Chengdu. A German team will help set up the hospital at its final destination, Dujiangyan.

Mobile hospital from Germany to be set up in Dujiangyan

Staff in Germany are carefully preparing the equipment for the mobile hospital, ready for it to be sent to Chengdu.

The earthquake severely damaged hospitals in Sichuan, and the mobile hospital will be a valuable donation for the region.

This mobile hospital will be operating in 25 tents with eight clinics, including surgical, gynecology, obstetrical, pediatrics, emergency ward, an operating room, an X-ray room and a laboratory. Medicine and medical equipment can be sustained for several months. It can look after 120 patients and provide medical service for 250,000 people.

The German team consists of eleven medical staff, administrative staff, and technological experts, who will work in the hospital up to six weeks. They are in charge of introducing Chinese staff to the facilities, helping to establish the hospital, and ensuring electricity and water supply. The assisting staff are volunteers from the German Red Cross.

Prof. Dr. Joachim Gardemann, volunteer of German Red Cross, said, "We have spent several hours this morning in the headquarters of the German Red Cross to listen to the detailed introduction of the disaster-hit area. We have known more about the conditions we are going to work under."

Mobile hospital from Germany to be set up in Dujiangyan

The hospital is worth about 1.2 million euros. It will start receiving patients after 72 hours of its arrival. The German Red Cross will continue to offer assistance in the coming weeks.

Christof Johnen, chief of Disaster Management, German Red Cross, said, "The German Red Cross will transfer two plane-loads of tents to China. But in order to reduce the transportation distance, we will not purchase these tents in Germany. We haven't decided where they will be purchased, but there will be at least 1,500 tents. This is an effective cooperation between Red Cross branches around the world. The focus is not only medical rescue, we will also provide makeshift shelter and assist with rebuilding houses."