To prevent the novel
coronavirus from spreading, many Chinese are staying home as boring as it may
be, only expecting to go out after the epidemic. Some want to hug their
friends, go shopping, or drink milk tea.
But Zhang Liu’s wish is to be quarantined
immediately.
“After the epidemic, I wish I could be
quarantined immediately to ensure the health of my family, neighbors and
colleagues,” Zhang, an associate chief physician of the Intensive Care
Unit (ICU) at Peking University People’s Hospital in Beijing, told the Global
Times.
Zhang is among the first batch of 121 members
of a Beijing medical team to aid Wuhan, the capital of Central China’s Hubei
Province and epicenter of the novel coronavirus. The virus has taken the lives
of more than 400 people.
The medical team from six hospitals in
Beijing, organized by the National Health Commission, left for Wuhan on January
26 afternoon to aid coronavirus control efforts.
Zhang, together with other 19 colleagues from
his hospital, joined this medical team. On January 25, the first day of the
Chinese New Year, Zhang received the urgent notice to aid Wuhan.
“I’m from Hubei, having lived there until
my graduation from university. As a doctor, especially from ICU, it is my
responsibility to treat patients regardless of how dangerous the situation
is,” Zhang said.
Without further consideration, Zhang and his
colleagues prepared personal luggage and medical supplies for their journey as
soon as they could. Zhang is the leader of a 20-member medical team from Peking
University People’s Hospital to work at Wuhan Tongji Hospital.
“The biggest concern is my family. My
baby is only 7 months old, my parents are aged and my father just had cataract
surgery,” Zhang choked as he spoke over the phone, adding “but there
are more patients.”
Pioneer members
Members of Communist Party of China (CPC) are
playing an exemplary role for carrying out medical work at frontline. There are
eight Party members, one probationary Party member and three candidates of
Party membership in Zhang’s team.
Bao Jing, attending physician of respiratory
medicine, acts as the secretary of temporary Party branch in the medical team.
She joined the CPC in 2001. “As a member of CPC, it is our nature to play
a pioneer role to devote ourselves at this urgent epidemic period,” she
told the Global Times.
Before the urgent calling for medical team,
Party members took the lead to contribute to defeating the epidemic and more
than 100 doctors applied to go to Wuhan spontaneously from Zhang’s hospital.
There’s no other reason,
to work and fight at the hardest and most dangerous place is just my
responsibility as a CPC member and doctor,” Bao said.
During the first week in Wuhan, five team
members have applied to Bao for Party membership. They realized no matter what
difficulties are encountered, Party members always rush ahead.
“The leading role of our Party members,
especially at such critical moment, has naturally drawn the public closer to
the Party organization,” Bao noted.
Bao is impressed and touched by two boards on
her way to the isolation ward in Wuhan Tongji hospital. One is printed with the
Party flag and the pledge to join the Party. In the upper left corner of the
other board is a Party emblem, with the words “It’s responsibility of
doctors to protect patients’ health” written in the middle. It was signed
by a lot of local doctors.
“It shows the
determination and spirit of devotion of Wuhan’s doctors. No matter where we
are, Party members always rush ahead,” she said, adding that “it also
inspires me to complete my task with all efforts.”
As the secretary of temporary Party branch,
Bao should shoulder the cohesion and coordination of the team and ensure
everyone’s safety. “A most important task is still to treat patients and
to contribute to the outbreak control in Wuhan,” Bao said.
Frontline war
Wu Anhua, a 58-year-old professor of the
infectious disease department of Xiangya Hospital, arrived in Wuhan on January
21 from Changsha, capital of Central China’s Hunan Province.
Wu participated in handling large-scale
epidemics such as SARS and bird flu and has rich experience in emergency public
health events.
Wu has trained doctors and nurses who directly
treat and care for infected patients.
“We have trained
more than 4,200 medical staff of 30 medical teams from different provinces who
are now working in hospitals of 13 districts in Wuhan,” Wu told the Global
Times.
Wu traveled 270 kilometers and trained for
seven different groups of medical staff within a day.
The Peking Union Medical College Hospital
organized a 21-member team three hours after receiving the call from the
Chinese National Health Commission on January 25.
The team also includes some senior medical
staff who fought against SARS in 2003.
In less than 20 hours, the hospital prepared
53 boxes of medicine, protection ware and daily necessities including diapers.
“Without hesitation” and
“duty-bound” are the two phrases that appeared the most in their
petitions. The team arrived in Wuhan on January 26 to support the Tongji
Hospital.
Zhang Liu told the Global Times that while the
constant change and development of virus makes it difficult to treat, they are
still confident of winning the war against the epidemic.
Before working in Wuhan, Zhang only learned
the regularities of the novel coronavirus from experts. After arriving in Wuhan,
the medical team received a series of emergency training lessons on isolation
protection and the latest research results of the novel coronavirus.
“However, frontline work is so different
and tense. We need to closely observe the symptoms of patients, summarize rules
and explore treatment methods. Exploring the unknown is difficult,” Zhang
noted
He said he was impressed
by the high level of protection required for the illness. During frontline
medical service, medical staff are on alert to avoid infection. Only by
ensuring the safety of medical staff, could we better treat more patients,
Zhang said.
Medical staff in protective clothing sweat,
feel confined, and breathe uncomfortably as the clothing is not easily
breathable. As wearing the protective clothing can be very troublesome, the
medical staff on duty for six hours wear diapers to avoid going to the bathroom
on the job, Zhang said.
Heavy protective gear also makes it difficult
to inject patients. Ma Yueming, a nurse in Zhang’s medical team, said she felt
her hands become very clumsy when covered with five layers of gloves.
She could not even open the needle packing and
tear off the tape.
She had to try twice to successfully inject a
woman in her 60s, having initial difficulty because of poor vascular conditions
– something that had never happened in her career.
The patients in the isolation ward are not
accompanied by their family members. In addition to treatment, medical staff
need to take care of patients’ daily life, even cleaning their urine and feces.
It’s difficult to recognize who is in the
heavy protective clothing. Medical staff sign their names on the back to remind
their colleagues. They wrote “stay strong” on the protective clothing
to encourage patients.
“We’re actively coordinating with the
logistics support to ensure adequate medical supplies. Thanks to support from
country, the government and all sectors of the society, we will sustain
difficulties together,” Zhang said, noting that “frontline medical
staff is not fighting on our own.”
The aid from across the country
More than 6,000 medical personnel across China
have arrived in Hubei to help local hospitals save novel coronavirus patients.
More are still on the way – four flights from
provinces including Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning and Henan arrived in Wuhan on
Sunday, bringing 400 medical personnel and a large amount of medical supplies,
the China News Service reported.
The doctors and nurses are from different
departments, including respiratory, infection and ICU, Jiao Yahui, a deputy
head of medical policy and administration bureau under National Health
Commission (NHC), told a daily press conference.
The teams brought
medical resources that are in short supply in Hubei. A medical team from East
China’s Shandong Province brought 100,000 masks. The team from Northwest
China’s Xinjiang
Uygur Autonomous Region brought respirators, electrocardiographs and medicine.
Apart from those of local regions, medical
personnel from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) also have rushed to Wuhan. On
Sunday, the PLA took over the newly built Huoshenshan Hospital, and 1,400 army
doctors and nurses are there to treat coronavirus patients.
GLOBAL TIMES
