Medical experts from Johns Hopkins University Hospital who arrived in Taiwan on Saturday decided to get an early start to their mission, unexpectedly visiting a Taipei hospital yesterday to offer advice on caring for burn victims injured in the Formosa Fun Coast (八仙海岸) fire on June 27.
They were scheduled to visit seven hospitals around the nation beginning today to offer advice on treatment of some of the Color Play Asia fire burn victims.
Visiting experts include Johns Hopkins Burn Center Director Stephen Milner, Johns Hopkins Burn Center Director Christina Catlett, plastic and reconstructive surgery resident Denver Lough, clinical social worker and therapist Linda Ware and therapist Theresa Lynch.
A sixth member of the team, associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the university’s School of Medicine Kevin Gerold, is to arrive separately.
The group flew in from Los Angeles with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on his chartered plane as he returned home from an eight-day trip to Central America and the Caribbean.
During their two-hour visit to Mackay Memorial Hospital yesterday, the experts viewed the burn victims through windows and expressed satisfaction with the quality of care provided by the hospital, according to Mackay Memorial Hospital vice president Shih Shou-chuan (施壽全).
They also talked about the feasibility of transferring one patient, Alex Hass, to the US for treatment, Shih said. The medical experts tried to gain an understanding of his injuries and discussed the possibility of transferring Hass to a hospital in Boston which is near his home in New Jersey.
However, due to the severity of his condition and the distance between Taiwan and the US, the plan is still under discussion.
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