A volunteer attends to Li Xin at Shanghai Children's Medical Center, where the six-yearold earthquake victim underwent operations yesterday to her thigh bone.

Doctors at Shanghai Children's Medical Center spent two hours yesterday operating on a six-year-old Sichuan girl's leg which was broken in the earthquake and then became infected after treatment at struggling hospitals and medical centers in the quake devastated region.

Li Xin, one of 141 quake victims, arrived in Shanghai from Chengdu on Monday and was sent to SCMC with another five child patients aged between five and 14 years.

The girl was buried in the collapsed kindergarten building in Mianzhu, but rescued by teachers soon after the disaster. She had an open fracture to her right arm and fracture of the right thigh bone.

According to Li's mother, the girl's aunt took her to Mianzhu People's Hospital, but the hospital was also destroyed and did not have the capability to treat patients.

The next day her family sent her to a medical rescue team, which conducted surgery on her injuries.

"She was then transferred to Chengdu No.9 People's Hospital. But there were too many patients and Li didn't receive proper care, resulting in severe infection," said Xia Lin, an official of Shanghai Children's Medical Center.

"Our doctors gave her a checkup soon after she arrived and decided to carry out surgery. If she didn't receive urgent treatment, she could have lost her leg. Her injury is the most serious among the six patients," Xia said.

Doctors said Li would be able to walk and run after rehabilitation.

"All children still have mental stress from the earthquake and have refused to talk about it. Their parents said many children screamed on the airplane while it took off," Xia said. "Our social work department is working on a psychological intervention course for each child and volunteers have started to accompany and play with them."

Hospital officials said celebrations for the upcoming International Children's Day on June 1, which is also Li Xin's birthday, will be held on Sunday to cheer them up.

All of the 141 patients who arrived in the city on Monday have received treatment at nine city-level hospitals. About 20 people underwent surgery on Monday and yesterday.

According to the Shanghai Health Bureau, the second group of 179 quake victims will arrive in the city today.

(Shanghai Daily May 28, 2008)