Quick response saves lives, helps the injured

Chinese medical teams set up field hospitals in quake-hit areas to deliver much-needed assistance

Ten-year-old Mithun had been sick since his home country Nepal was struck by a devastating earthquake on April 25. His belly had swelled and looked bigger than normal, says his mother.

"We were afraid that he was desperately ill," she adds.

But a Chinese Red Cross team encamped in the small village of Magagun, 20 kilometers from the epicenter of the Nepal earthquake, spelled hope for the locals, including Mithun and his mother.

Nearly three weeks after the first earthquake struck Nepal, Chinese medical teams, including the group that set up a medical camp in Magagun, are trying to provide as much assistance as local communities need in the Himalayan country.

Mithun was sent to the Chinese Red Cross field hospital on the morning of May 6, where a Chinese doctor performed an ultrasound test on him and checked his daily diet.

The examination result showed that Mithun's health problem was caused by a shortage of food and nutrition, and the harsh living conditions brought about by the quake. When his mother was informed her son's condition would improve by taking the medicine prescribed to him, she felt greatly relieved.

"Our home was destroyed during the quake, but as long as all my family members are fine, we will get better in time," she says.

Mithun is one of 1,500 local patients who have been treated at the Chinese field hospital.

Soon after arriving in Kathmandu on April 30, the Chinese Red Cross team had their hands full visiting patients and seeking a base for the field hospital. On May 1, International Workers' Day, the team walked nearly 30 kilometers from Kathmandu to areas that had not been reached by medical support since the quake struck.

Wang Ping, director of the Chinese Red Cross team to Nepal, says: "After consulting with the Nepal Red Cross Society, we found that most local and international medical teams were gathered in Kathmandu, the capital.

"Many people living near mountainous areas, like the 15,000 people in Magagun, where we camped, had not received any proper medical treatment since the quake."

Moving medical supplies to the area was not easy. It took the medical team more than eight hours to traverse 130 kilometers of destroyed roads. On arrival, the team quickly put up 10 tents.

"Even under the scorching sun, people are lining up outside our tents. They are so eager to see a doctor, and this makes us feel more responsible for them," Wang says.

Nearly 20 doctors, including experts in emergencies, orthopedics, respiratory diseases, pediatrics and gynecology, are working at the Chinese field hospital, according to Wang. The Chinese team also offers help to those who need psychological counseling following the disaster.

Dev Ratna Dhakhwa, secretary-general of the NRCS, says the Chinese medical support has been highly efficient. "Before the quake, we had been cooperating with the Chinese Red Cross for years. We have personnel exchange programs every year, and our partnership has been very close.

"The joint work in post-quake rescues is a new form of our cooperation. Chinese medical teams are very open-minded, and their support is very sustainable."

Hundreds of thousands of homeless families are still living under waterproof fabrics at public shelters. When the NRCS requested a large number of tents, its Chinese counterpart delivered 2,000 of them, each of which can house six people.

"When we revisited some of the tents we set up for local residents, we found more than 20 people were sharing one of them. We've provided accommodations for more than 10,000 Nepalis, but apparently it's not enough yet," Wang says.

The possibility of epidemics still exists, and more work on their prevention is the key for the Chinese medical workers.

The Chinese Red Cross team is working with local volunteers to hand out free face masks and drugs, and conducting basic health lectures for local communities, especially at public shelters.

"We will go farther into the mountainous areas to help those who have had no access to medical support," Wang adds.

Meanwhile, a Chinese military medical crew is also providing much needed help in Nepal. The 70-member Chengdu team has treated nearly 60 wounded Nepalis and performed six surgeries within 48 hours of landing in Kathmandu. The Chinese team is also the first international rescue group to set up a surgical center in Nepal following the earthquake.

"Our temporary operating room used to be a military camp, so we spent hours sterilizing the room, and we used bed sheets to shield the window from the blowing wind," says Hu Yonghe, director of the Chengdu Military Medical Team. "Patients are transferred from the local hospital or disaster sites directly by the local army."

Because of the limitations posed by the old military camp as well as safety concerns during aftershocks, all Chinese doctors and local patients are staying in tents.

Enduring the searing sun in Kathmandu, the crew manages to fix all the tents in just a few hours. But Hu's sunburned neck and face and bloodshot eyes provide telltale signs of the hard work that went into setting up the makeshift operating room.

Aside from treating patients, the Chinese medical crew allows local medical personnel to observe their operations.

"We have very experienced doctors, and we hope to show our experience to those local medical personnel who are eager to learn," Hu says. He notes that there are differences in how his team conducts binding and treatment procedures compared with those of the local doctors.

Hu says he hopes the local doctors can know learn from his medical crew so they can conduct more efficient follow-up treatments for patients who have been under his team's care.

One of the first patients transferred from a local hospital to the Chinese field facility was 38-year-old Bodhraj Ghimire, who fell from a three-story building during the earthquake and broke an ankle.

"The local hospital can only provide first aid treatment, but my injury required a serious operation. Luckily, I was transferred to the Chinese military soon after they established the field hospital. I have been treated very well," Ghimire says.

Also appreciative of the Chengdu Military Medical Team's assistance for the earthquake survivors is Nepali student Ratna Gharti, the first local volunteer with the Chengdu Military Medical Rescue team. His knowledge of medicine and Chinese has been of great help to the doctors working to save Nepali lives.

"We really appreciate the help from international rescue teams. I want to help them work efficiently here," says Gharti, who has been standing with Chinese doctors for four hours in an operating room.

The Chinese military medical team also brought more than 50 metric tons of medicines, including many for epidemic prevention. They also sent out a detachment to visit temporary housing facilities to provide medical help.

zhaoyanrong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 05/15/2015 page15)