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1st SARS hospital opens
Latest Updated by 2003-05-06 10:21:32
Beijing's newly built SARS hospital was scheduled to receive the first group of patients Wednesday as its acting mayor revealed the Chinese capital was short of hospital beds for a growing number of patients.
The hospital in Xiaotangshan in the northern suburbs of Beijing, the world's first special SARS hospital, has more than 1,000 beds for patients suffering from the deadly, flu-like disease.
According to a Ministry of Construction official, 7,000 workers built the hospital in eight days.
Deputy director of the hospital Zhou Xianzhi said Wednesday all builders had left and 333 military medical staff had arrived. Another 480 military medical staff would arrive later Wednesday.
The last team of the 1,200 military doctors and nurses would arrive before May 5, said Zhou.
Pharmaceutical supplies and medical equipment were in place Wednesday and the first 200 SARS patients were expected to be admitted later in the day.
Meanwhile, Beijing's Acting Mayor Wang Qishan told a press conference Wednesday that the SARS outbreak in Beijing remained severe.
Wang said the number of probable and suspected cases remained high, and sources of infection had not yet been cut off completely.
A shortage of beds in designated hospitals prevented suspected patients from being isolated timely, he said. A total of 15 hospitals have been designated to treat SARS patients.
In Beijing, there had been buildings hit by large number of patients like the Amoy housing estate in Hong Kong, Wang told reporters but did not give details.
The mayor said much had to be done to ease the panic among some members of the general public and to ensure social stability.
The city has isolated 9,650 people who might have been exposed to the virus, according to the city government.
That includes students who were quarantined in dormitories at two universities, Wang said.
As of 10 a.m. April 30, a total of 1,440 SARS cases had been reported in Beijing with 75 deaths.
The municipal government was focusing on reducing the mortality rate and the infection of medical workers, Wang said.
The acting mayor gave a reassurance that the epidemic can be controlled.
"Chinese and foreign experts have told me this disease is controllable."
He denied rumors that authorities were planning to seal off the capital — a city of 13 million people — or dust it from the air at night with anti-SARS medication. There had been no reports of infection in rural areas of Beijing as of April 29.
Wang said the municipal government would redouble efforts in medical treatment, prevention and control.
The government was mobilizing all walks of life to build a city-wide epidemic prevention network, Wang said.
Editor: Wings
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By: Source：Xinhua
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