School assault girl out of intensive care, says her brother

Lujain Hussein, the victim of a violent school playground assault, may be released from hospital on Thursday.

ABU DHABI // Lujain Hussein, the victim of a violent school playground assault, has left intensive care.

Lujain, 11, was attacked by four boys at Al Maali International Private School and was in a medically induced coma for more than two weeks after being admitted to Sheikh Khalifa Medical City with a brain haemorrhage.

Her brother Mahran said she was released from the intensive care unit on Tuesday and was no longer connected to tubes that drained excess blood from her brain.

Lujain is scheduled for a brain catheterisation tomorrow, and if doctors determine she is in the clear she may be discharged from hospital, Mr Hussein said.

She can stand and is undergoing physiotherapy to improve her body movement and hand-eye coordination.

She is receiving medication and vitamins intravenously.

"She doesn't speak much, but she calls out our names and asks for us," Mr Hussein said.

"Her memory is also improving. When we show her pictures of her friends, she recognises them.

"She keeps telling us she wants to go home."

Mr Hussein said his younger sister does not remember anything about the attack.

"We showed her some photographs that were taken just a few minutes before the incident but she still doesn't remember them," he said.

"We're taking it step by step. We don't want to pressure her to answer any questions that she's not ready to answer now.

"We're just happy to see her up and moving again."