Hong Kong medical experts are helping mainland authorities to map out long-term recovery plan for earthquake patients, said Hospital Authority (HA) chief upon the return of its team of 33 medical experts from Sichuan province yesterday.

The team was greeted at the airport by Permanent Secretary for Food and Health (Health) Sandra Lee, HA Chairman Anthony Wu and HA Chief Executive Shane Solomon.

Lee thanked them for their hard work and said Hong Kong people are proud of their professional spirit.

The medical team comprises staff from different specialties like orthopedics, infection control, microbiology, intensive care unit, clinical psychology and physiotherapy.

The first batch of the medical team left for Chengdu on May 15 to provide medical support to victims with orthopedic injuries at Hua Xi Hospital.

Seven medical professionals of the HA are still in Chengdu to continue with the services.

Team leader Lau Chor-chiu, Chief of Service (Accident & Emergency) of Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, said they mainly tended to patients' wounds and performed a total of 51 surgeries.

They also provided physiotherapy and psychological counseling.

He revealed many patients had been discharged from the orthopedics ward by the time the team left Chengdu.

The SAR and Sichuan governments will decide whether another medical team will be deployed, he said.

Rosalie Kwong, HA Senior Clinical Psychologist, said apart from psychological treatment for victims, they provided counseling training to 120 local medical staff at Hua Xi Hospital.

"After all, long-term counseling to the quake victims will have to be done by local psychologists," she said.

The medical team has come up with a tailor-made disaster management plan for psychologists in Sichuan.

HA Director (Quality & Safety) Leung Pak-yin said two orthopedics experts from the Chinese University and Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital had left for Beijing yesterday. Their mission is to come up with a long-term recovery plan for amputees of the earthquake with experts from all over the country.

(HK Edition 05/29/2008 page1)