Malala receiving intensive integrated treatment in the UK

17 October, 2012

Much to the chagrin of her assaulters, Malala Yousafzai is responding well after she was flown to the UK where she is receiving advanced treatment. The girl was attacked by Taliban after she dared to speak in favour of girls' education in the picturesque Swat Valley.

MALALA YOUSAFZAI, who was shot in the head by the Taliban, was flown out of Pakistan to the United Kindom in the morning of Monday, October 15, in an air ambulance. The decision for Malala's overseas treatment was taken on Sunday afternoon after she was taken off the ventilator for a while.

It was felt that Malala required integrated care and treatment since her condition was optimal for such a medical support. Pakistani doctors were of the view that because of damage caused to the right side of Malala's brain, it may require a long term specialized treatment for her rehabilitation.

Malala, a school student from the town of Mingora in Swat district, has become a well known figure for her activism in the Swat Valley, where the Taliban had banned girls from attending schools. It was on 9 October 2012, Malala was shot in the head in an assassination attempt by Taliban terrorists while she was returning home in her school bus.

After the fatal attack, Malala remained in critical condition, but her condition improved enough for her to be sent to a hospital in the United Kingdom.

The assassination attempt on Malala received worldwide media coverage and an outpouring of sympathy for her. A large number of protests against the shooting were held in several Pakistani cities and in many countries, including India. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called it a "heinous and cowardly act". But, the Taliban reiterated their intent to kill Malala.

Meanwhile, Angelina Jolie and Tina Brown have launched a campaign to raise funds for girls' education in Pakistan and Afghanistan.