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Report from Hospital East of Baghdad

Aired April 08, 2003 - 12:39   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Our medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at a hospital east of Baghdad. He's joining us now live. As all of our viewers know by now. He's embedded with the so-called devil docs, Navy physicians working with the U.S. Marine Corp.
Sanjay, tell us what's going on where you are.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll you, Wolf, it has been such an interesting experience for me. It's been very, very busy where I am. We are just east of Baghdad now. What has been happening over the past several weeks, you and I have been talking. Several surgical units, imagine piggybacking, one over the other, through southern Iraq, eventually meeting up just outside of Baghdad.

We're inside an operating room. This is an unusual operating room, in that it's not actually being used right now. Most of them are being used almost all the time. There are several surgical units, all sort of combining, coalescing their forces, being prepared to take the multitude of patients, which may or may not come.

They're not sure if those patients are going to come, but they are preparing for just about anything.

Also, Wolf, a 500-bed fleet hospital also going to be put up here. It's going to be taking care of patients over the next couple weeks, as well as the weeks after for any possible humanitarian needs.

Just fascinating, Wolf. Again, We are in the middle of the desert. It is a nice, pleasant night outside, which is a welcome relief for all these doctors. It's been so hot. It's a pleasant night. And for that, they are getting a little bit of relief, busy operating, but certainly taking care of the patients, as they always have -- Wolf.

BLITZER: How are you holding up, Sanjay, you and your cameraman, Mark Biallo (ph). I know it's been difficult for everyone concerned. That drive up toward Baghdad certainly not easy or pleasant.

GUPTA: Yes, you're absolutely right. I'm happy to report that Mark and I are doing just fine. These convoy rides, Wolf, that you've heard so much about, they can be a very challenging thing. Sometimes they are told it will just take two or three hours.

In fact, ours yesterday took almost 13 hours, driving through the night, sometimes in a lights-out situation. Our particular convoy hit a huge ravine, and we were jostled around a bit, but we're all doing fine. There was some enemy fire, not on us, though, thankfully, but in the distance. That slowed our convoy right down as well.

But I'll you, Wolf. I think we're doing actually amazingly well, given that the days can get to 110 degrees, given that there are sandstorms, given that we don't have anything but MREs to eat, and sometimes just use only the desert as our bathroom, I'd say Mark and I are holding up just fine -- Wolf.

BLITZER: That's great to hear. Good work, excellent work. I want both of you to know I'm getting tons of e-mail for our viewers, specifically questioning you, saying they love you, Sanjay, they want to get as much of you as they possibly can on our air. And we're grateful to you and Mark for all the excellent work that you're doing. Thanks very much to both of you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired April 8, 2003 - 12:39   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Our medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at a hospital east of Baghdad. He's joining us now live. As all of our viewers know by now. He's embedded with the so-called devil docs, Navy physicians working with the U.S. Marine Corp.
Sanjay, tell us what's going on where you are.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll you, Wolf, it has been such an interesting experience for me. It's been very, very busy where I am. We are just east of Baghdad now. What has been happening over the past several weeks, you and I have been talking. Several surgical units, imagine piggybacking, one over the other, through southern Iraq, eventually meeting up just outside of Baghdad.

We're inside an operating room. This is an unusual operating room, in that it's not actually being used right now. Most of them are being used almost all the time. There are several surgical units, all sort of combining, coalescing their forces, being prepared to take the multitude of patients, which may or may not come.

They're not sure if those patients are going to come, but they are preparing for just about anything.

Also, Wolf, a 500-bed fleet hospital also going to be put up here. It's going to be taking care of patients over the next couple weeks, as well as the weeks after for any possible humanitarian needs.

Just fascinating, Wolf. Again, We are in the middle of the desert. It is a nice, pleasant night outside, which is a welcome relief for all these doctors. It's been so hot. It's a pleasant night. And for that, they are getting a little bit of relief, busy operating, but certainly taking care of the patients, as they always have -- Wolf.

BLITZER: How are you holding up, Sanjay, you and your cameraman, Mark Biallo (ph). I know it's been difficult for everyone concerned. That drive up toward Baghdad certainly not easy or pleasant.

GUPTA: Yes, you're absolutely right. I'm happy to report that Mark and I are doing just fine. These convoy rides, Wolf, that you've heard so much about, they can be a very challenging thing. Sometimes they are told it will just take two or three hours.

In fact, ours yesterday took almost 13 hours, driving through the night, sometimes in a lights-out situation. Our particular convoy hit a huge ravine, and we were jostled around a bit, but we're all doing fine. There was some enemy fire, not on us, though, thankfully, but in the distance. That slowed our convoy right down as well.

But I'll you, Wolf. I think we're doing actually amazingly well, given that the days can get to 110 degrees, given that there are sandstorms, given that we don't have anything but MREs to eat, and sometimes just use only the desert as our bathroom, I'd say Mark and I are holding up just fine -- Wolf.

BLITZER: That's great to hear. Good work, excellent work. I want both of you to know I'm getting tons of e-mail for our viewers, specifically questioning you, saying they love you, Sanjay, they want to get as much of you as they possibly can on our air. And we're grateful to you and Mark for all the excellent work that you're doing. Thanks very much to both of you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com