UK doctors say Malala has every chance of making “good recovery”
Police officers patrol outside the emergency entrance of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital where injured Pakistani teenager Malala Yousufzai arrived for treatment in Birmingham, central England on October 15, 2012. – Photo by Reuters
BIRMINGHAM: 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban has every chance of making a “good recovery”, British doctors said on Monday as the Pakistani school girl arrived at a hospital in central England for treatment of her severe wounds.
Malala, who was shot for advocating education for girls, was flown from Pakistan to receive specialist treatment at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital at a unit expert in dealing with complex trauma cases that has treated hundreds of soldiers wounded in Afghanistan.
“Doctors…believe she has a chance of making a good recovery on every level,” said Dr Dave Rosser, the hospital’s medical director, adding that her treatment and rehabilitation could take months.
He told reporters that Malala, whose shooting has drawn widespread condemnation, had not yet been assessed by British medics but said she would not have been brought to Britain at all if her prognosis was not good.
TV footage showed a patient, believed to be the schoolgirl, being rushed from an ambulance into the hospital surrounded by a large team of medical staff.
She will now undergo scans to reveal the extent of her injuries, but Rosser said they could not provide any further details without her agreement.
Pakistani surgeons removed a bullet from near her spinal cord during a three-hour operation the day after the attack last week, but she now needs intensive specialist follow-up care.
They have said Malala needs treatment for a damaged skull and “intensive neuro-rehabilitation.”
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the “barbaric” attack on Malala had “shocked Pakistan and the world.” “Malala will now receive specialist medical care in an NHS (National Health Service) hospital,” he said.
“The public revulsion and condemnation of this cowardly attack shows that the people of Pakistan will not be beaten by terrorists.” Security concerns meant Malala’s departure after daybreak from Islamabad Airport – in an air ambulance provided by the United Arab Emirates – was not announced until the plane was airborne.
Malala, who had been treated in a Pakistani military hospital, was accompanied on the plane by an intensive care specialist.
Asked if Malala will be guarded at the Birmingham hospital, Cameron’s spokeswoman said: “You wouldn’t expect me to talk about security matters in detail but certainly security has been taken into account.”
The shooting has been denounced worldwide and by Pakistan, which has said it will do everything possible to ensure Malala recovers and will meet all the costs of her treatment.
The cold-blooded murder attempt has sickened Pakistan, where Malala came to prominence with a blog for the BBC highlighting atrocities under the hardline Islamist Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who terrorised the Swat valley from 2007 until an army offensive in 2009.
Activists say the shooting should be a wake-up call to those who advocate appeasement with the Taliban, but analysts suspect there will be no significant change in a country that has sponsored radical Islam for decades.
On Sunday, around 10,000 people gathered in Karachi for a rally in support of Malala, organised by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).
But right-wing and conservative religious leaders have refrained from publicly denouncing the Taliban. They have warned the government against using the attack on Malala as a pretext for an offensive in the militant bastion of North Waziristan.
The United States has long called on Pakistan to wage an operation in the district, considered the leadership base of the Haqqani network – blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan – as well as a Taliban stronghold.
Malala was first airlifted from Swat to a military hospital in the northwestern city of Peshawar, then to the country’s top military hospital in Rawalpindi, where doctors on Sunday took her off a ventilator for a “successful” short trial.
The army said a panel of Pakistani doctors and international experts agreed Malala needed “prolonged care to fully recover from the physical and psychological effects of trauma that she has received.”
It is also expected that damaged bones in her skull will need to be repaired, and that she will need “long-term rehabilitation, including intensive neuro-rehabilitation.”
Schools and mosques across Pakistan have held special prayers for Malala.
Pakistan has offered more than $100,000 for the capture of her attackers.
A senior police official told AFP that investigators have questioned dozens of suspects, but that the hunt for the main culprits was continuing.
Ahmad Shah, police station chief in the town of Mingora where Malala was shot, has said nearly 200 people were detained including the bus driver and a school watchman, but most have been released.
Malala has changed my perception of Pakistan. I now have a reason to believe that there are good people in Pakistan too. I read Malala’s story on the internet, watched some of her speeches and could not stop wondering how intelligent and mentally matured this child was. I pray that she recovers and comes back stronger than before. She is special. She is God’s gift to Pakistan. Hope we had a Malala for India too!
malala we love you
Malala, India prays for you! May you have a full & fast recovery!
Malala get well soon, we all pray for your early recovery and good health, InshaAllah.
May she recover fully and quickly.
Pakistan should pay the full cost of this treatment to the UK. If VIPs can be rushed overseas for even minor flue treatment at Pakistani taxpayers’ expense then surely no Pakistani would have objection to meeting Malala’s expense- whatever it may be.
UK and US must face the cost of Malala treatment as we are fighting their war
May Allah protect Malala from evil… Ameen
May god bless her.
Pakistan is spending too much money for its military. But they don’t have even better basic medical facilities. If any pakistani do heart surgery or any major medical surgeries they have to depend foreign countries. They even go to India for better medical treatment.
Pakistan does not have as much medical facilities as it should have and the treatment is expensive like many other developing countries but they do have some very good hospitals and most doctors who have been locally trained or have been trained abroad and have returned to serve the country are excellent doctors. The doctors who worked on Malala did an excellent job in keeping her alive and the government sent her oversees for treatment was to ensure 100% recovery and because of extreme public interest in this case, and God forbid if something would have happened to her or had she died the whole nation would have asked the government as to why she was not sent abroad for treatment.This was also to satisfy the public.The Birmingham hospital is designed to deal such cases, India does not have hospital of this level otherwise the government would have sent her there, it would have cost the
government less money.
The courage and the wisdom of this young girl puts all the Pakistanis to shame. She has single handedly done what our politicians have not done for decades. The level of support that she has recieved from the non vocal majority of Pakistan has told the world about the good that exists in Pakistan. Evil exists in every society and is more vocal and physical, in Pakistan, than the majority. We got to attempt to silence the evil with showing our support for the good.
This is the best news for an early morning riser. We love you Malala and after Allah Allmighty, we love you and are praying for your healthy recovery and long and normal life. Godspeed. Ameen. Salams
KARACHI IS STILL VERY SAFE HEAVEN FOR THESE CRIMINALS.ALL THESE BIG CRIMINALS HAVE PERMENANTLY MOVED INTO KARACHI.
She should never have been sent to the UK or anywhere else outside Pakistan. Why are facilities not available in Pakistan in this day and age to handle cases like this? How damaging is this second incident (the first was the shooting of this innocent girl) to Pakistan’s image???
Some people have such narrow minds that they look for propaganda in everything. Stop being so negative and pray for the girl and pray that none of your relatives or your kids have to suffer through this. What if it was your girl than you would have wanted the best possible care in the world. Shame on every single person whois going to write any negative comment about his girl or the situation. If you can’t pray than do not open your mouth coz nothing good can come out so keep it to yourself. May Allah give her long healthy, happy life and give her a speedy recover, Ameen!!!
Fully agree. I wonder what these people will do if Malala was their sister or daughter?. Do they not think before opening their mouth?. Shame on all of them. Particularly the onbes who havent openly said that they condemn the attack on Malala. All heads of the so called religous parties should be questioned on TV to ask them what they really think of Talibans?. I bet they will not have a leg to stand on. They are all liars and two-faced.
How perverse and sickening it is that the Muslims in Pakistan (and the world), including Islamic clerics, show absolutely no concern and compassion for Rimsha Masih, the Christian teenager charged with blasphemy for allegedly burning pages of Islam’s holy book. She faces a death sentence due to the VERY SAME rules based on the VERY SAME cult that the Taliban follow.
How ignorant and ill-informed are you. Alot of clerics condem that incident too. And she didn’t face death sentence she has been realeased. Dont use her case or any other case for your own sick motives. There are good and bad people everywhere. You must absorb this fact rather than comeout and spill poison.
They are concerned about her as well, its just that your media is not interested in showing the other side.
We should not worry about who get the credit. At the juncture lets pray for her full recovery. These are petty things u are talking about, Pakistani Doctors did the best they can , hopefully she out of danger . Uk will provide excellent rehab services., InshaAllah.
Hope she makes it without much of residual effects. This girl INSPIRES and the world would be a better place with her alive and providing the inspiration for change.
Good luck,Malala and a salute for you!
Long live malala, get well soon.
Russians could not defeat Taliban, Americans could not defeat Taliban, but a 14 years old girl just defeated and humiliated Taliban to the core, I see Nelson Mandela , Gandhi and Bacha Khan ( The Frontier Gandhi) written all over it……
What absolute nonsense
we should have kept her in Pakistan; if need be, we could have brought in some foreign doctors for purely advisory role. Our top medical facilities are more than enough. As for the girl, she’s my hero from now on and she’s a symbol of courage and defiance against medieval, backwards enemies of this great nation.
Thanks UK for taking care of little angel.
May she recover soon with Allah’s blessings.
Why send her to UK we have everything in Pakistan. Now UK will take the credit for her recovery even though our Pakistani army doctors stabilized her and she was recovering well. Later she will be used a propaganda tool against Pakistan by the western media.
there is no harm in sending her to UK. the medical expertise in UK is certainly better and they have more modern equipment and better facilities. we are good but no harm in moving her to a still better facility.
why are you so narrow minded?
Its not a compertition she went to the best place for her treatment whats wrong with you people no one is saying the Drs in Pakistan did not do a good job they did they saved her life most of the Drs at this Hospital are from Pakistan and India. why do you have to look at this sistation in a negative way, this hospital is in the front line for such injuries they deal with the soilders coming back from war they are the best its a world class hospital.
Her doctors in Pakistan may heal her, but, can’t protect her. Sad that fanatics kill and chase away bright minds
well said.
Get a life….seriously!!
Hey! Read the article again. She went to UK to have Skull damage be restored back…
I remember the case of Wasim Akram’s wife.Do you?
no please enlighten me. i am probably hte only person who does not know.
Yeh have everything in Pakistan when you can’t even provide needles free of contamination.
btw, be happy what you get. Shame on you people if you can’t thank and help than keep your mouth shut.
oh please……think of her as your own daughter and then tell me what you would have done. Let’s be honest with ourselves that we do not have everything in Pakistan. Do you even have clean water…give me a break please. I’m very optimistic about Pakistan but I’m also a realist.
Yes, Pakistan has everything just not the security part.
Sure ??
You are so naive to make the statement “We have everything in Pakistan”. You have no idea of healthcare. Wake up and learn.
Are you a doctor????????? We do not have facilities and expertise for treating skull break. These are complicated surgeries. Malala needs treatment for a damaged skull and intensive neuro-rehabilitation. Be real and be realistic. Thanks!
I think this move is not only for medical reasons but also for her and other security reason .
God may accept the good efforts of dr’sand their services shall bring fruits by grase of God.Long live Mallala light ofknowledge.
FORÇA MALALA!!!!!!