Health system continues earthquake relief and epidemic prevention work

Source:nhfpc.gov.cn

Updated: 2014-08-15

The National Health and Family Planning Commission has sent an extra five orthopedics and four public health experts to Ludian to help with the injured and local epidemic prevention. To date, the commission has sent a total of 194 medical personnel to the disaster area, including 52 national psychological counseling experts, three medical teams with 99 medical staff and 23 medical vehicles from Sichuan and Chongqing, and a national emergency health team with 42 medical staff and 14 medical vehicles.

The national medical expert team has held group consultations on the treatment of the severely injured, and coordinated local medical institutes in evaluating medical equipment demand. The team also visited hospitals in Zhaotong, Ludian, Qiaojia and Qujing to check the victims. It offered special medical rescue service to some patients in critical condition to bring down mortality and disability rates. Experts from the State Chinese Medicine Administration Bureau have provided traditional Chinese medicine therapy to 109 earthquake victims. The national public health experts have continued to work in Longtoushan county, the worst-hit area, to help with pathogenic microorganism inspection work, as well as drinking water supervision, patient monitoring and post-disaster inoculations.

The national infectious disease control team has made full use of the mobile lab inspection and sterilization vans to conduct mass health inspections and sterilizations in the disaster area. The three medical teams from Sichuan and Chongqing established vehicle-mounted hospitals in Zhaotong, and several medical treatment points in Ludian and Longtoushan. They also sent several branches to various areas to offer medical service for victims. The teams also asked experts in severe cases, anesthesia and orthopedics to help with rescue work and operations in hospitals that have taken in the injured.

To date, health and family planning departments at all levels have sent a total of 1,367 medical personnel, 370 epidemic prevention professionals and 228 medical vehicles to the disaster area to help with the medical treatment and rescue work.