British Doctors Predict 'Good Recovery' for Pakistani Teen
Pakistanis light candles in front of a banner showing a picture of 14-year-olschoolgirl Malala Yousufzai in Peshawar, Pakistan, Oct. 15, 2012.
British doctors treating the 14-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl shot last week by the Taliban say she has a chance of making a "good recovery."
Queen Elizabeth Hospital's medical director, Dave Rosser, said Malala Yousafzai's treatment and recovery is expected to take at least several weeks. He made the comments Monday, shortly after Yousafzai arrived in Britain by air ambulance from a military hospital in Pakistan.
Pakistani military officials said a panel of doctors had recommended Yousafzai's transfer to a facility "which has the capability to provide integrated care to children who have sustained severe injury."
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, located in Britain's central city of Birmingham, has extensive experience treating British soldiers injured in the Afghan war.
British Hospital Treats Pakistani Teen
Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England
-Opened June 16, 2010
-Has major trauma center
-Specializes in complex cases, head and gunshot wounds
-Has treated hundreds of soldiers wounded in Afghanistan
-Noted for Surgical Reconstruction expertise
-Houses Britain's Royal Centre for Defense Medicine
According to the military, doctors say Yousafzai "will require prolonged care to fully recover from the physical and psychological effects of trauma that she has received."
The military also said she will need the repair or replacement of "damaged bones of the skull and long-term rehabilitation."
Pakistan's government has promised to pay for all the expenses related to her treatment.
Taliban gunmen shot Yousafzai in the neck and head on October 9 as she left school in the northwestern area of Swat Valley. The Taliban said it targeted the girl because she spoke out against the militant group.
Rallies for Malala Yousafzai Grow
1/18An ambulance crew and their police escort await the arrival of an air ambulance carrying 14-year-old injured Pakistani girl, Malala Yousufzai, at Birmingham International airport in central England October 15, 2012.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
2/18The plane carrying Malala Yousufzai, the Pakistani girl shot in the head by Taliban gunmen, arrives at Birmingham airport, England October, 15, 2012.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
4/18An ambulance transfers Malala Yousafzai upon her arrival in Birmingham, central England on October 15, 2012.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
5/18Malala Yousufzai is brought out of a hospital on a stretcher in Rawalpindi before being flown to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
6/18Nepalese students take part in a candlelight vigil to express their support for Malala Yousafzai, depicted in photograph at left, in Katmandu, Nepal, October 15, 2012.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
7/18Pakistani students sing as they hold pictures of Malala Yousufzai during a tribute at the Pakistani Embassy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, October 15, 2012.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
8/18Pakistani schoolgirls pray for the recovery of Malala Yousufzai at their school yard in Gujranwala, Pakistan, October 15, 2012.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
9/18A supporter of Pakistani political party Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), reacts while holding a poster of Malala Yousufzai during a rally to condemn the attack in Karachi, Pakistan, October 14, 2012.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
10/18Supporters of Pakistani political party Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), attend a rally to condemn the attack on Malala Yousufzai, Karachi, Pakistan, October 14, 2012.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
11/18Pakistani Christians pray for the recovery of Malala Yousufzai at the Sacred Heart Cathedral Church in Lahore, Pakistan, October 14, 2012.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
12/18Women supporters of Pakistan Sunni Tehreek protest to condemn the attack on Malala Yousufzai, Islamabad, Pakistan, October 14, 2012.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
13/18Pakistani students pray for the recovery of Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban for speaking out in support of education for women, in Peshawar, Pakistan, October 12, 2012.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
14/18Teachers recite verses from the Koran as they pray for the recovery of Malala Yousufzai, Peshawar, Pakistan, October 12, 2012.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
15/18Pakistani girls display a poster while sitting at their desk, as their teacher, not shown, talks to them about Malala Yousafzai, Islamabad, Pakistan, October 12, 2012.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
16/18Pakistani worshippers pray for the recovery of Malala Yousafzai during Friday prayers in a Mosque in Karachi, Pakistan, October 12, 2012.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
17/18Women hold candles during a rally condemning the attack on Malala Yousafzai, Karachi, Pakistan, October 11, 2012.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
18/18A student holds a placard with a picture of schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai.
The 14-year-old shot by the Taliban is flown to Britain for further medical treatment.
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Yousafzai has been internationally recognized for promoting education for girls and documenting Taliban atrocities in the area near her home in Swat.
On Sunday, thousands of people gathered in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, to show their support for Yousafzai.
Also Sunday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged the political and religious leaders of Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan to mount a collaborative plan of action against terrorism and extremism.
Children across Pakistan and Afghanistan Saturday prayed for Yousafzai's recovery. Pakistani police have arrested several shooting suspects in Swat Valley.
A Taliban spokesman in the region said Friday the group's leaders decided a few months ago to kill Yousafzai and assigned gunmen to carry it out. He said the girl was targeted because she is "pro-West" and has called U.S. President Barack Obama her idol.
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