The two-year-old girl from Macao, who sustained life-threatening head injuries in a devastating gas explosion at the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store in Taichung, Taiwan, earlier this month has been returned to Macao for specialized medical treatment.
The girl, surnamed Tang, arrived at the Conde de São Januário Hospital yesterday afternoon off a medical charter flight, TDM and Macau Post Daily report. She had been undergoing several days of intensive care at Taichung’s China Medical University Hospital.
The tragic incident occurred on 13 February, when a gas explosion at the department store resulted in falling objects striking seven members of a four-generation Macao family. The explosion claimed the lives of the girl’s grandfather, a retired Public Security Police officer, and her grandmother, who was employed at Macao’s Fortuna hotel. The two-year-old sustained severe head trauma and was rushed to hospital, accompanied by her parents.
Due to the severity of her head injuries, Tang underwent emergency cranial decompression surgery in Taiwan. Medical reports from China Medical University Hospital indicate that her vital signs, including body temperature, pulse rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure, have stabilized following several days of treatment.
[See more: The Macao girl injured in the Taichung blast has a higher chance of survival: report]
Tang was accompanied yesterday by her 85-year-old great-grandmother and 24-year-old uncle, who had also been injured in the blast. The family had previously held a funeral ceremony and cremation for the deceased grandparents in Taiwan, and their ashes were brought back to Macao on the same flight.
Upon her arrival in Macao at approximately 4 pm, Tang was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre. Dr. Wong Fong Ian, the hospital’s chief paediatrician, reported that the girl had suffered serious brain damage and required a ventilator to assist with her breathing and heart function. Medication has been administered to stabilize her blood pressure and the patient is currently in a coma.
Chang Tam Fei, director of the hospital’s emergency department, stated that the Health Bureau had been closely monitoring the girl’s condition and liaising with relevant authorities in Taiwan since the accident. Medical representatives from both Macao and Taiwan hospitals collaborated to assess her condition before approving her transfer to Macao.
The Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store has pledged to cover the cost of the medical charter flight and all subsequent medical expenses incurred in Macao.
