First Affiliated Hospital races with time to save lives

Source:nhfpc.gov.cn

Updated: 2014-08-15

August 6 is the third day since the earthquake happened in Ludian county. The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University has been racing against time to save lives as the crucial period of 72 hours for rescue is running out.

The whole team sent by the hospital hasn’t wasted any time in treating the injured. The team leader Wang Kunhua, president of the hospital, has put in extra hours and barely slept more than eight hours in three days. With bloodshot eyes, Wang has been leading medical rescue work at the frontline. He’s not only seeing patients but also carrying stretchers around to send the severely injured to hospitals for better treatment.

“We have to fight against time to save as many lives as possible, so there will be fewer grieving families,” said Wang. “We’ll use vehicles to deliver patients if helicopters run out, and carry patients on our shoulders if all vehicles are taken up to bring the death rate to a minimum.”

The medical team has given emergency medical treatment to 371 people under Wang’s guidance, transferring 30 patients and conducting field treatment to 341 injured, including 20 people just dug out from the debris, according to Wang Yunhui, deputy director of the hospital’s emergency medicine division. “They are all in critical condition, and the youngest is just 15 days old, while the oldest is 86 years old,” said Wang.

A little girl one and a half years old had her face burned, with her life hanging by a thread. All team members have cooperated with each other to offer debridement and send her to hospital. The efforts paid off and the girl was saved. Shi Yunfei, deputy director of the hospital’s chest surgery department, has continued to work at the frontline to deal with the injured, despite the fact that he was hurt during an aftershock. The whole team has overcome various difficulties to ensure more lives can be saved.