A UAE armed forces medical team has arrived here and would soon leave for the worst affected Balakot to oversee the medical services at the UAE field hospital there, UAE ambassador said on Tuesday.
The team will get first-hand information about the hospital's requirements and would look into options how to further expand its activities, Ambassador Ali Ahmed Al Shamsi said.
On arrival at the Chaklala Air Base, the head of the team, Brigadier Ahmed Abdullah Dhiyab, told reporters that the visit was in line with the directives of the UAE armed forces' leadership to have the first-hand information about the performance of the UAE medical cadres at the field hospital.
Brigadier Ahmed Abdullah Dhiyab, who is the Director of the Medical Services at the UAE Armed Forces, said the team will explore ways how to expand the hospital network to treat more patients, referring to reports that there are more than 60,000 injured persons in the affected areas, including Balakot and its adjoining areas.
"This has overwhelmed the hospital so it is difficult to treat this big number of injured persons in a short time," he said.
Brigadier Dhiyab said the hospital would remain in the area to provide treatment, shelter and food supplies to the affected people, and to assist in the reconstruction phase. He added that the UAE leadership at first considered flying the injured persons to the UAE for medical treatment but it was later agreed that the injured would receive medical attention at home while those with critical injury would be flown to the UAE for treatment.
The head of the medical team said that he is trying to acquire a building for permanent hospital in the wake of upcoming winter season.