CNN chief medical correspondent and neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta lent a hand to overwhelmed medical workers on Monday in earthquake-ravaged Kathmandu, Nepal, performing brain surgery on an 8-year-old girl injured by falling debris.
The girl’s grandfather brought her into the hospital from an hour and a half away, Gupta said during a segment on CNN. Rubble had fallen on her head, and she suffered a compound fracture and developed a blood-clot on her brain. Her brother also required treatment.
“Essentially, their entire house fell down … We’re not sure of the whereabouts of her parents,” Gupta explained.
The hospitals are overrun with more patients than they can accommodate, according to the report.
“Sometimes they come by taxi cabs, sometimes they come by foot, the patients, sometimes they’re being carried by family members or friends,” Gupta explained. “There was a bit of a lull, and people thought maybe the worst was over.”
But then more patients arrived, he said.
Nepal was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Saturday as well as devastating aftershocks that are now responsible for over 4,000 deaths.
See the video here of Gupta’s CNN segment.