Special care station in Shanghai serves medical workers

SHANGHAI -- A receptionist surnamed Zhou at a care station for medical workers in Huangpu district, Shanghai, was making preparations for dinner deliveries.

Over the past few days, Zhou has tended to dozens of medical workers. "Some medics came in with a high fever and some had a hoarse voice and could hardly speak. I made my heart ache," Zhou said.

As the number of COVID-19 patients continues to rise in Shanghai, the workload of frontline staff in medical institutions has increased significantly, and many have been infected.

To provide a warm and comfortable place for medical workers to rest and recuperate, the Huangpu district health commission and Ji Hotel jointly launched the special care station.

Yao Guoping, a doctor from the Huangpu branch of the Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, affiliated with the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, stayed at the care station for about four days. She had been working for several consecutive days before testing positive for the coronavirus on Dec. 22.

"I'm much better now. Many of my colleagues have been working for several consecutive days. I hope to return to work as soon as possible to support them," she said.

Although the number of outpatients at the orthopedics department where Yao works was not as high as the emergency department and fever clinic, there was still a shortage of medical staff, she said. For the sake of patients' health and her own, Yao was encouraged to rest at the care station.

"When I arrived, I found everything was well-prepared, including antigen reagents and daily necessities. The staff here take good care of us," Yao said.

Also from the Huangpu branch, nurse Chen Meng has been working at its nucleic acid sampling station for the past two years.

"I had considered how I should protect my family from infection should I become infected," Chen said. "The care station has provided such a good place for medical staff to live and rest, greatly relieving our worries."

Wang Sujie is a doctor from the Luwan branch of Ruijin Hospital, affiliated with the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. "Three generations of my family live together. My husband, also a frontline doctor, lives at his hospital to protect the elderly and the children," Wang said.

"I came to the care station after my symptoms became severe," said Wang, who had been working for days at the hospital. "Many of my colleagues chose to stick to their posts if they had no severe symptoms. I hope to recover soon and join them," she said.

The Huangpu district health commission has also set up a special team to care for medical workers, together with the service team at the care station, according to Li Wei, deputy director of the commission.

The special team has worked with the district's mental health center, a community health service center and other institutions, and established a psychological care hotline and medical care hotline to protect the physical and mental health of medical workers, Li said.

During her stay at the care station, Yao received messages from former patients. "Doctor Yao, have a good rest and don't worry," one read. "I hope you recover soon and I will see you during my return visit," read another.

"I have been serving patients for nearly 20 years and was once dispatched to a makeshift hospital to support the medical treatment of COVID-19 patients," Yao said. "I'm very glad to see so many people still worrying about us. Their support encourages us to face up to all difficulties in the future," she said.