Kan said they didn't know how long they would stay; his team is now waiting for further instructions from above. Despite occasional aftershocks the leveled town now feels almost peaceful.

"For now, I don't think a long-term stay here is necessary," he said. "We’ve sent out our best leaders and medical experts and they all want to contribute more but, as things stand here, we don't have much to do."

Wang Xueli, the Party secretary for the hospital's surgery department, explained that all severely injured people have been transferred to big hospitals outside the town. This means that their medical specialists are only needed for simple surgical dressing procedures and menial tasks such as cooking food.

Yet all of the Tangshan personnel are experts in their fields: neurosurgery, orthopedics, hepatobiliary surgery, pediatrics, endocrinology and rheumatism.

"We are considering relocating so that we can make a better use of our medical equipment and experts," Wu said.