China's first medical team dispatched to the Nepal quake zone has left Southwest China's Sichuan Province this morning.
The 58-member team is on a ten-day mission. The professional, experienced medical staff are taking along special vehicles, hyperbaric oxygen chambers, and mobile hospital equipment that can acclimatize to the plateau terrain in Nepal.
Authorities say all the medical staff were trained in 4,000-meter high plateau environments.
"This is the first team that the Chinese government organized. It's also the largest team with staff that cover all aspects of medical needs," said Deng Shaoping, deputy leader of Chinese medical team.
"We chose the medical team from Sichuan because Sichuan is near the high plateau, its medical teams have been trained in high-plateau environments."
"At present, we plan to go to Kathmandu where the altitude is not that high. But we may transfer to mountainous and plateau areas, depending on the needs of the injured."