A Chinese volunteer (left) at the China-Guinea Friendship Hospital in Conakry, capital of Guinea, discusses a patient's condition with local medical professionals. Provided to China Daily A growing number of medical professionals are offering their services to aid those most in need. Wang Xiaodong reports. After working at a large, well-equipped hospital in Beijing, Chao Shuang could not have been more astonished by the conditions in Conakry, capital of Guinea, and the China-Guinea Friendship Hospital during her first visit to the West African country. I was prepared for the worst before I set out, but it turned out to be worse than I expected, she said. There are virtually no roads in the city. The hospitals, even major ones in the capital, are in dire need of basic equipment. Some of the testing equipment was made in the 1970s, so most of us had no idea how to use the machines. Chao, a pediatrician at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, was part of an eight-strong team organized by the Chinese Medical Doctor Association. The Chinese medics - neurosurgeons, gynecologists and pediatricians from three tertiary hospitals in Beijing - provided voluntary services at the hospital in Guinea for three weeks. They mainly treated children with hydrocephalus, a condition in which fluid accumulates in the brain. Though the illness is common in Guinea, the patients often had a serious form of the condition as a result of delayed diagnosis and treatment, according to Chao. Working there was completely different from working at my hospital in Beijing, she said. We were constantly under pressure due to a lack of equipment, despite the things we had brought from China. The power supply in the operating rooms often failed, and sometimes the backup generator was also out of operation so we had to use the flashlights on our mobile phones to conduct surgery. Moreover, none of the Chinese doctors could speak French, the official language of Guinea, so it was difficult to communicate with the patients. Luckily, they met an interpreter who was working for a medical assistance squad dispatched by the Chinese government. The two groups shared the interpreter's services whenever possible, which was a great help, Chao said. In addition to providing diagnoses and surgeries, her team also helped to train local medical professionals. I was pleased to see some of the children with serious conditions improved after we treated them, she said. The experience was a spiritual baptism for me because I was finally able to help others in need, and I was so proud of myself. custom rolex bracelethow to make your own silicone wristbands at home24 hour wristbandembossed wristbandssilicone bracelet usb flash drive
Photo taken on July 5 shows a climate observatory in Qionghai, Hainan province. [Photo/IC] BEIJING - China will speed up establishing national climate observatories, an official from China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said on Tuesday. Climate change has become a worldwide concern, and to address the problem it is necessary to conduct comprehensive observations of the climate system, Zhang Zuqiang, director of the emergency relief and public service department of CMA, said at a press conference. The national climate observatories will function as integrated meteorological stations to carry out long-term, consecutive and all-around monitoring of the multilayered climate systems and the interactions among different layers. The observatories will also serve as a platform for scientific research and talent cultivation and they will be open to administrations at home and abroad, Zhang added. During the implementation of the 13th five-year plan in China, which extends from 2016 to 2020, CMA will establish national climate observatories in 16 critical areas in the climate systems which are sensitive to interactions among distinctive layers and exchanges of mass and energy, Zhang said. In 2007, five meteorological observation stations in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and provinces of Anhui, Guangdong, Yunnan, and Gansu had been chosen as the pilot areas for establishing the climate observatories.
