The Beijing municipal government Wednesday organized a group of
nearly 50 foreign journalists from some 30 media organization,
including AP, Reuters and AFP, to visit the world's largest SARS
(severe acute respiratory syndrome) hospital.
This is the first time the city has organized a foreign press visit
to the hospital, located at Xiaotangshan area on Beijing's northern
outskirts, said a source with the Beijing Municipal Foreign Affairs
Office.
The Xiaotangshan Hospital, the biggest medical complex devoted
solely to SARS patients on the Chinese mainland, was built in only
seven days and nights by approximately 7,000 workers.
Between May 1 and 6, the hospital registered a total of 393 SARS
patients transferred from other local hospitals in the national
capital.
The reporters were allowed access to the designated living area of
the hospital, located at a distance from the isolation wards.
The hospital, equipped with 1,000 beds, has 22 wards and nine
auxiliary examination departments, said Zhang Yanling, the
president of the hospital.
Currently, the hospital admit mainly light SARS patients, said
Zhang, adding that one third of the 393 patients, aged 41.7 years
on average, have normal body temperatures. All the patients are in
stable condition, and no death and discharge from the hospital have
occurred.
The patients are expected to recover in next 10 days and will then
be discharged, Zhang added.
On
Wednesday night, the hospital was expected to register another 100
to 150 SARS patients, said Zhang, adding that so far, none of the
1,200 medical staffs in the hospital has been infected.
(Xinhua News Agency May 8, 2003)