Doctors Hopeful As Malala Arrives In UK

Malala Yousafzai, the 14-year-old Pakistani girl who was shot by Taliban gunmen last week, has every chance of making a "good recovery," British doctors said Monday as she arrived at a hospital in England for treatment of her severe wounds.

Malala was flown from Pakistan to receive specialist treatment at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital at a unit that specializes in dealing with complex trauma cases after treating hundreds of soldiers wounded in Afghanistan, Reuters reported.

"Doctors ... believe she has a chance of making a good recovery on every level," said Dr. Dave Rosser, the hospital's medical director, adding that her treatment and rehabilitation could take months.

He said Malala has not yet been assessed by British medics but thatshe would not have been brought to Britain at all if her prognosis was not good.

TV footage showed a patient, believed to be the schoolgirl, being rushed from an ambulance into the hospital surrounded by a large team of medical staff.

She will now undergo scans to reveal the extent of her injuries, but Rosser said he could not provide any further details without her agreement.

Malala could be seen by 17 different specialists in her first 24 hours there, a hospital spokesman told ABC News.

She was shot in the head and neck, and the hospital said she would undergo MRIs, CT scans and other procedures necessary before doctors can begin to try to reconstruct her skull.

Pakistani military doctors, who removed one bullet from her skull, said earlier that she remains in serious condition and that the next few days will be critical in determining her ultimate survival.

"We offered last Thursday our help to the government of Pakistan in caring for her, because she does need particular specialist care," a spokesman for Downing Street said in a statement.

Under extremely tight security, once she recovers from surgery, Malala is likely to require neurological treatment and also to need to have damaged bones repaired or replaced, according to a BBC report.

The Pakistani government has promised it will pay for all of her medical care.

It is unclear if any of Malala’s family accompanied her on the flight on United Arab Emirates Airlines.

Meanwhile, Pakistani authorities have claimed that the conspiracy to attack Malala sprang “abroad,” while the Pakistani Taliban threatened to shoot her and her family again.

Four people in the Swat Valley, Malala’s home region and the location of the attack on her and two other girls, have been arrested. However, it is unclear who they are and how they were apprehended.

Islamabad officials have also offered a $100,000 reward for the capture of the men who shot the girls.

Protests against the shooting have mushroomed across Pakistan and have made the girl a global symbol. She has also been praised by various world leaders.

"Last week's barbaric attack on Malala Yousafzai and her school friends shocked Pakistan and the world,” Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague said.

“Malala's bravery in standing up for the right of all young girls in Pakistan to an education is an example to us all. ... Our thoughts remain with Malala and her family at this difficult time. The public revulsion and condemnation of this cowardly attack shows that the people of Pakistan will not be beaten by terrorists."

"The U.K. stands shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan in its fight against terrorism."

Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who now serves as the United Nations’ Special Envoy for Global Education, vowed that Malala’s dream of universal education for women will be fulfilled and crafted a related petition to give to Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari when he visits the country in November.

"The petition calls on Pakistan to ensure that every girl like Malala has the chance to go to school," he said.

"I know that Britain will offer Malala the best treatment possible and the British people will welcome her, hoping and praying for her recovery. Today, sadly, 32 million girls are not going to school, and it is time to fight harder for Malala's dream to come true."