Feature: Foreign medical camps giving fresh hope to quake survivors

Dressed in a purple T-shirt and pants, 11-year-old Sabina Lama with her whole head bandaged was drawing in her notebook in the hospital bed on Thursday morning.

With her aunt sitting next to her, with her right hand in plaster and eye slightly swollen, she was drawing pictures of her village, school and flowers using her left hand.

She greeted all the attending doctors and nurses and even visitors with an innocent and carefree smile, which could make anyone believe that life is still beautiful in this country, which has been hit by a deadly disaster just a few days ago killing thousands.

After sharing a few warm words, she said that her latest picture is about an attending Chinese military Doctor Luo Han.

"I have been in this hospital bed since last Friday. Two doctors look after me and they are both very friendly and sweet so I have drawn pictures of them," a bright-eyed Sabina said.

A resident of Helambu of Sindhupalchowk district, she had major head surgery on Tuesday. She was left unattended for four days in her devastated village after the quake struck, in severe pain and crying helplessly, as rescue and relief was delayed due to the village's geographical remoteness.

After nearly two weeks since the massive earthquake in this small South Asian nation, the death toll in her mountainous district is still rising with more than 2,900 already confirmed dead.

More than 16,000 people have sustained injuries in the quake and are being treated at different hospitals in the capital.

As health centers are limited with inadequate equipment and medicine in the worst-hit districts, the temporary medical camps have been the best option available for many in this small country.

"I am happy that I am alive. It's like being given a new life in this camp, thanks to the doctors but they don't understand my language,"the grade-four-student told Xinhua.

The survivors lying in the small cozy area next to Sabina's bed echoed her feeling. "These doctors care and love us a lot and come to visit every hour."

Most of the survivors in the medical camp are from the remote villages of districts like Sindupalchowk, Kavre, Nuwakot, Dolakha and Dhading, with the majority of them suffering from broken limbs.

Until Thursday, the team has already conducted 87 successful operations in the camp including 23 major surgeries.

This medical camp is located inside Singhadurbar, the administrative hub of the state, where commoners are not allowed to enter without special permission.

Seventy-two-year-old Ten Chhemle Sherpa entered this part of the capital for the first time in his life, but with a broken leg and deep chest injury. "I have a strong fate. I am inside Singhadurbar. I had no hope of life but look, I am alive with these foreign helping hands and my family members are safe as well," Sherpa said.

He comes from a village in Narayanthan-7 in Sindhupalchowk, where all the houses have been completely destroyed. Nature's fury killed his 14 cows, on which his livelihood depends.

But his face shows that he feels blessed just to be alive.

This medical team has already attended to more than 1,000 survivors though they only have a 35-bed-capacity.

When a team led by the Nepalese chief of Army staff Gauram SJB Rana along with Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Wu Chuntai visited the camp on Thursday, the happiness on the faces of the survivors were boundless.

One such face was that of Thul Bahadur Thami of Kavre district, dressed in a white shirt covered by a red sleeveless jacket. After providing a flower bouquet to the military doctors as a symbol of thanks for saving the lives of the Nepalese, he remained busy for a while being photographed by journalists and army personnel.

"My hand was broken but I am completely fine now. I am going to be discharged. I want to help my community and neighbors to rebuild the devastated village," Thami said, his voice tinged with optimism. Endi