(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-05-22 19:41

BEIJING  -- A team of 20 Chinese medical workers left Beijing for southwestern Sichuan Province on Thursday to provide comprehensive rehabilitation services to disabled earthquake survivors.

Head of the team and director of the China Rehabilitation Research Center Li Jianjun said they were organized by the China Disabled Persons Federation.

Li said there were many cases of spinal injury after the 8.0-magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan. Early rehabilitation treatment could minimize the death rate, reduce the level of disability or even prevent disability. It could also help them to resume a normal life as soon as possible.

He said the team comprised experts in spinal and brain injuries, amputation and artificial limbs, as well as in neurology and psychology.

"We might build a rehabilitation center for disabled survivors, if the total number proves to be very large," said Li.

He said a national survey in 1988 showed more than 3,000 survivors of a strong earthquake in Tangshan in north China's Hebei Province, were disabled with amputations.

The China Disabled Persons' Federation has decided to send another two teams to earthquake-stricken Sichuan Province to help the rehabilitation of disabled people.

The earthquake centered in Sichuan killed at least 264 disabled people and injured 8,325 as of 6 p.m. on May 20, according to the Disabled Persons Federation of Sichuan.

Officially 288,431 people were injured in the 8.0-magnitude quake by 10 a.m. on May 22. Many were left disabled from amputations and spinal injuries.

Disabled people who lost relatives in the earthquake will receive a monthly subsidy of 600 yuan (86 US dollars) for three months, according to the Civil Affairs Ministry and Finance Ministry.