Taipei, May 7 (CNA) A local hospital's medical team has saved two African boys suffering from severe burns in an emergency medical relief mission coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the ministry and hospital said Friday.
The two unrelated 7-year-old boys, from Taiwan's western African diplomatic ally Sao Tome and Principe, arrived in Taiwan on April 11 for emergency treatment due to the lack of medical support in the country and its neighbors, said Foreign Affairs Minister Timothy C.T. Yang.
The boys' initial prognosis was not optimistic, said Tsui Kang, spokesman of Wan Fang Hospital. They had both suffered second-to-third degree burns, with one boy, named Fernando, having burns covering 40 percent of his body surface area (BSA) and the other, Aurelio, having a 9 percent BSA.
Fernando underwent two skin-grafting operations, including one that lasted 10 hours, while Aurelio had one operation. Both are now recovering well, Tsui said.
Fernando, who sustained burns when a pot of hot oil and water fell on him after he bumped into his mother in their kitchen, could barely stretch out his arm when he arrived in Taiwan, but his range of motion increased from just 20 degrees to 160 degrees after several skin grafts, Tsui said.
Aurelio sustained burns to the backs of his knees after spilling and igniting an oil container, leaving him unable to bend his knees, Tsui said. He can now stretch his legs straight and also jump on one foot, according to the spokesman.
"When the accident happened I told myself 'this is it' and my son's chances of recovering were slim. I'd never imagine that we would be here in Taiwan with the medical team and the first-class treatment, " Shela comis Lopes, Fernando's mother, told CNA through an interpreter.
The boys are scheduled to fly back to Sao Tome and Principe May 17 with their families.
A third child who was also suffering from severe wounds was scheduled to be brought to Taiwan for treatment as part of the group but died prior to the trip, said Yang, who initiated the mission after learning of the accidents from a friend.
The mission showed that Taiwan had extended its goodwill and friendship to its allies through concrete actions rather than lip service, said Sao Tome and Principe Ambassador to Taiwan Jorge Amado.
"Today's event is the most valuable testimony of 13 years of bilateral friendship between Sao Tome and Principe and Taiwan," Amado said.
The mission was only one part of Taiwan's continuous effort to take advantage of its medical expertise and provide medical relief to countries around the world, Yang said.
Taiwan has used different formats and services in various countries in practicing medical diplomacy, Yang added, noting that Taiwan has overseas-based medical teams as well as touring medical teams to provide medical care for special diseases.
It also helps other countries train medical staff, he said. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls