Jiading heroes fight virus on the front line
Three nurses from Jiading — Lu Qinghong, Liu Fen and Xiao Juan — display three hearts at Jinyintan Hospital, a designated hospital for treating coronavirus patients in Wuhan. They left for the city to do their part in the fight against the virus on January 28.
To combat novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, center of the outbreak, seven medical workers from Jiading hospitals headed to the city to help in the fight.
Three nurses — Lu Qinghong, Liu Fen and Xiao Juan — were among the first batch to leave for Jinyintan Hospital, a designated coronavirus hospital in the Hubei Province capital, on January 28.
After their arrival, Liu Fen, from Nanxiang Hospital, starts working every morning wearing a protective suit. In addition to daily treatment that includes injections, transfusions and the taking of patients’ blood, she and her fellow team members are responsible for cleaning and sterilizing the wards.
“Our shift lasts six hours, during which we can’t eat, drink or go to the restroom. When we finish the shift, our clothes are often soaked with sweat, our faces are marked with the impression of the masks, and our ears are swollen,” Liu said. Despite the tough conditions they are facing, they continue to work on the frontline without complaint.
On one occasion, when a patient gave her a thumbs up and said “thank you,” Liu forgot any difficulties she might have had and felt motivated to carry on with her job.
“Seeing these patients’ strong will, I told myself that I have to fight with them till victory over the epidemic,” she said.
When Liu arrived in Wuhan, she expressed concern about her 11-year-old son who was in hospital with pneumonia. Her husband, Tang Zhijin, who is a doctor, was busy working in the hospital as well.
To eliminate their worries, their colleagues took on the responsibility of taking care of their son. Thanks to their efforts, the boy recovered and has since been discharged.
Lu Qinghong, chief nurse at Anting Hospital, had similar worries about her 80-year-old mother.
In order to set minds at ease and let Lu focus on her work at the frontline, Anting Hospital set up a green channel for her mom to see a doctor first and pay the fee later.
“So far, her elderly mom is in a good condition. Medicine for her chronic illness is adequate. Now we check her condition regularly and if necessary, we can help dispense and deliver medicine to her home,” said Li Bin, director of Anting Hospital. Apart from talking to her on the phone, hospital officials have visited Lu’s mom several times, delivering fresh fruit and vegetables.
“A support group has been set up to provide necessities for her mom such as surgical masks and nutrition,” Li said.
Xiao Juan is a senior nurse at Jiading Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. With 15 years’ experience, she is known for her even temper, patience and professionalism.
As a Hubei native, she immediately offered to go to the epidemic center. She said she felt obliged to help those in need in her hometown when she saw the news that medical workers from all over the country were heading to there.
“It is the crucial time in my hometown. I couldn’t hold back,” Xiao said. “I am willing to go to the frontline and win the fight with our teammates.”
Xiao Juan (left), senior nurse at Jiading Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, waves her goodbye when she leaves for Wuhan, Hubei Province on January 28.
At the beginning of the year, Jiangqiao Hospital launched a team to study and enact work and response plans.
Gu Jiarong, vice president of Jiangqiao Hospital, left for Leishenshan Hospital, the second emergency hospital in Wuhan for coronavirus patients, on February 18 to help save lives.
Four days later, a team of 50 psychologists from Shanghai flew to Hubei to deal with any psychological problems of not only patients but also medical staff. Among them are Gao Cunyou and Xu Jianneng from Jiading Mental Health Center and Du Wenyong from Jiading Central Hospital.
Their task is to stabilize the emotions of patients and relieve the pressure felt by medical workers so they can work more efficiently.
Before they left, their hospitals and the district’s health commission had prepared necessities including medical masks, latex gloves and protective suits. Other necessities including hot water bottles, snacks, instant noodles and diapers were provided.
Gao, leader of the second batch of Jiading medical workers, went to the Wuhan Children’s Hospital. As an army surgeon, he took part in rescue efforts in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan Province and the 2010 Yushu earthquake in Qinghai Province.
To help lessen sick children’s stress, Gao encourages them to paint, with the protective suits of medical workers becoming their canvas.
“Painting can not only enrich their life in the isolation ward, but also reflect their psychological status, helping us to monitor their condition,” said Gao. “They are in a good condition according to our analysis, which I believe is because of all the medical workers’ efforts.”
Gao Cunyou, a psychologist from Jiading Mental Health Center, displays a piece of a protective suit with paintings created by children at Wuhan Children’s Hospital. He and his colleagues believe that painting is a good way of enriching children’s lives while helping doctors to monitor their condition.
In Jinyintan Hospital, Du and Xu carried out psychological counseling after listening to clinical reports from local doctors.
As the hospital only accepts serious cases, some are feeling anxious and will test their blood-oxygen level repeatedly, worrying that they may never be cured.
“Psychological treatment is our priority, while medicine is another approach to calm them down,” Du said.
Apart from counseling directly in the isolation ward, the psychological medical team also helps patients by phone or through videos. A workshop has been set up to give advice to medical workers who are under pressure.
Let’s give our gratitude to the medical workers who help patients go forth in difficult times, and wish the virus can be defeated soon.
Seven medical workers from Jiading’s hospitals were among the teams sent to Wuhan in Hubei Province, center of the novel coronavirus outbreak, to lend a helping hand in the fight against the virus.
