国内英语新闻:Chinese rescuers provide much-needed medical assistance in Haiti

BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Being the only foreign rescue team to run medical-aid stations in quake-ravaged Haiti, Chinese rescuers are giving quake victims what they desperately need: medical assistance, team members told Xinhua via phone Saturday.

    The China International Search and Rescue Team, arriving in Port-au-Prince at 2 a.m. local time on Jan. 14, opened the first medical assistance station at 8 p.m. the next day, said captain Hou Shike.

    The station had been treating patients pulled out of debris and provided medical support to medical and security personnel, he said.

    China's second station in the refugee camp near the office building of Haitian prime minister had treated and some 120 people, while giving hygiene tips and conducting epidemic prevention work in the camp.

    "To prevent epidemics, we had sterilized an area of 300 square meters in the refugee camp crammed with thousands of quake victims," Hou said.

    "Confronted with severe wound infection, numerous refugees are in urgent need of professional medical treatment," said Fan Haojun, deputy captain of the team.

    He said although local volunteers had done their best to offer basic treatment, but because of the lack of wound cleansing, infections among some of the wounded had deteriorated that even small operations costed more time and medicines than usual, said Fan.

    The Chinese rescue team of more than 60 people left Beijing for the Caribbean island Wednesday night along with 10 tonnes of food, equipment and medicines.

    The massive quake also left eight Chinese police officers, serving in China's peacekeeping forces, buried. The body of one missing police officer had been found, said China's public security ministry late Saturday night.