Medics abandon reunions to head to Wuhan
A team consisting of 136 medical staff left Shanghai for Wuhan on Chinese New Year's Eve to support coronavirus prevention and control in Hubei Province.
Vice Mayor Zong Ming (right) went to Hongqiao airport to encourage Shanghai medical staff before they left for Wuhan on Friday night.
A medical team left Shanghai for Wuhan, the epicenter of the current coronavirus outbreak, on Friday night.
The 136 medical staff from 52 hospitals converged within 24 hours after Shanghai was informed by the National Health Commission to organize medical teams to support Wuhan.
Seventy-five medics, led by a leader, will serve ordinary patients, with another 60 for critical patients.
Local medical staff took medical equipment and protective materials with them to take a plane for Wuhan on Friday night.
It was an urgent order. Many members left their Chinese New Year's Eve family reunions to get ready to board a special plane to the capital of central China’s Hubei Province.
Three nurses from Shanghai Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine are in the team.
Gu Lingyao, a nurse at the hospital’s intensive care unit, is a Wuhan University of Science and Technology graduate.
“I have a strong and deep connection with Wuhan. Many of my classmates work in ICUs of Wuhan hospitals. The workload and tasks there now are very intensive and I want to go there to help them and join the fight against the virus,” Gu said.
Xinhua Hospital has one ICU doctor and one cardiology nurse in the team.
“I am a little bit nervous and thrilled. I will try my best to offer my service to help medical staff and patients in Wuhan. I also thank my parents for their support,” said Liu Lijun, a nurse experienced in intensive care medicine and cardiology. “I received the notice from the nursing department sending me to the medical team for Wuhan yesterday. I talked to my parents and got their support. I received a phone call while having dinner with my parents tonight and I rushed to the hospital immediately.”
Dr Chen Dechang, an ICU doctor at Ruijin Hospital, said he had been on standby for several days.
“I don’t know which hospital I will go to so far, but my field is just ICU and I will work with my colleagues in ICU,” he said. “Many critical patients suffer multi-organ failure, so they need our professional skills and nursing.”
Three nurses from Shanghai Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine left Shanghai with the medical team to Wuhan on Friday night.
Medical staff hugged with their colleagues before boarding the plane to Wuhan.
