Ali gets treatment in Kuwait

2003-04-16 12:45

Kuwait City - A 12-year-old Iraqi boy who lost both his arms and was orphaned in a US missile attack on his home in Baghdad was receiving emergency treatment in Kuwait on Wednesday after a high-profile campaign to save his life.

Ali Ismail Abbas was flown to Kuwait City overnight and taken to the emirate's specialised Al-Babtain burns centre where doctors said he was undergoing blood transfusions and surgery to place skin grafts over his horrific injuries.

Later, if all goes well, he is to be fitted with prosthetic arms designed to give him a degree of movement. Extensive rehabilitation would also follow.

The boy, whose suffering touched the hearts of millions worldwide, was "stressed" and had infected wounds but appeared to be stable enough for the operations, plastic surgeon Imad Najada said after an initial examination.

The surgeon added that Ali's condition was not life-threatening and that there was "no need (for him) to go anywhere else, we can take care of it here."

Najada said he anticipated the boy would only need a week to 10 days of initial treatment in the burns centre, explaining it would involve replacing lost fluids and providing more blood to support the circulation.

He said the boy had sustained burns to more than 20% of his body, primarily the interior trunk and part of the scrotum.

As he was being examined by doctors, Ali could be heard screaming and crying in agony.

Ali's uncle, Mohammad al-Sultani, told reporters that "all his family is dead".

Ali was the only survivor among more than 20 people who were killed when their Baghdad house was hit by coalition planes on March 30, Sultani said, looking dazed and exhausted as he accompanied his nephew into the burns centre.

The boy has threatened to commit suicide if he did not receive new arms.

Medical staff in Baghdad had warned that they lacked the equipment to treat Ali and that he would die of blood poisoning if not taken abroad for specialised care.

Ali's plight, captured in news broadcasts and headlines around the world, has turned him into a symbol of the civilian suffering in the conflict.

Charities and British media raised funds to airlift Ali out of Iraq and helped publicise his pain.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Tuesday during a visit to Germany: "We are well aware of the fact that it is not one individual case, there are many cases which cause us concern. We will do everything we can to respect those people."

Blair added that two other young Iraqis who had been injured in British-controlled southern Iraq had been flown to Britain for treatement.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, at Blair's side, said that Germany would also like to offer its help in treating such cases.

"Whenever and wherever such children are in need of treatment and where we feel we can be of assistance, we would very much feel that it is our humane and special honour to go in and offer this assistance," he said.

Kuwait's health ministry said eight other Iraqi children had already been brought to Kuwait City for medical care since the US-led war.

- AFX