WHO officials praise rural doctor in quake arears

An international fact finding team is in Dujiangyan city to assess quake damage. The team leader praised his Chinese colleagues and the government for the quick response and rescue efforts. Xie Zheng and Bao Hongwei followed the team to Puyang, a rural township where doctors are treating patients in makeshift tents.

Experts from the WHO and the World Bank are getting a first hand look at the damage, and they hope to share their expertise with the Chinese. The head of the team says he'll give specific recommendations on the health infrastructure, basic sanitation, surveillance and control of diseases, and possible humanitarian assistance.

Sixty-five doctors are working in this clinic. They treated some 800 people on the night of the earthquake. The doctors used whatever was on hand before help arrived. They even went back into the dangerous building to retrieve medical equipment. They can't forget those who died in front of them.

Doctor Zhou Peiqing, Puyang Township Clinic, said, "Now we need urgently to rebuild our ward so that we can receive more patients. 90 percent of our ward is completely destroyed. And we are short of medical appliances and drugs."

Zhou Peiqing says operation of the clinic has not been interrupted although the main ward building is damaged beyond repair. While the severely wounded have been transferred to bigger hospitals in the city, the clinic still treats hundreds of people every day. And at the same time, they've stepped up efforts to prevent any outbreaks of disease.