About 150 severely injured earthquake victims will soon be transferred to Guangdong where 17 hospitals are awaiting their arrival, the provincial health authority said on Monday.

In order to ease pressure on doctors and nurses in devastated parts of Sichuan, hospitals in Guangdong have offered to treat the badly wounded.

The health department has designated 17 large-scale hospitals as the first batch to receive earthquake patients.

"Twelve hospitals are in Guangzhou, three in Shenzhen and two in Foshan," Huang Fei, vice-director of the health department, said yesterday.

"All 17 hospitals can provide at least 1,000 beds."

The first affiliated hospital of Guangzhou Medical College is one of the 17 ready to admit earthquake victims.

The hospital is currently encouraging patients who are in a better condition than many of the survivors to sign themselves out early to make way for the influx from Sichuan.

"We will be able to provide at least 30 beds," a hospital official surnamed Li said.

Last night, doctors from the Guangzhou Medical College hospital formed an expert team led by vice-director Lai Yonghong to specifically treat earthquake victims.

The Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital will also receive people injured in the earthquake.

It has designated a special zone for patients, and its 21 surgery rooms are poised for a heavy workload.

"We will be ready to operate on patients 24 hours a day," Chen Zhi, one of the surgeons at the hospital, said.

Huang said Guangzhou's hospitals will care for about 150 patients.

As more patients are sent to Guangdong, other hospitals in Shenzhen and Foshan will be standing by.

Dozens of other hospitals in Guangdong have been selected as part of the second batch to receive earthquake patients.

These will also provide backup in the event the first 17 are swamped.

The third affiliated hospital of Guangzhou Medical College is one of those that will be on stand by.

"We are able to provide as many as 60 beds for those patients," He Xiaoling, a hospital official, said.

"We will also assign psychologists to take care of the earthquake patients who are suffering mental pain and trauma as a result of losing friends and family."

Guangdong hospitals have also sent 297 personnel in 10 medical treatment and epidemic prevention teams to Sichuan.

Editor: Yan