Project and Earthquake in China

I just returned from Taojiang, China where we installed critical care 4000 Dash GE monitors with central station and provided for the hospital a new echocardiography ultrasound and 6 “etep down” cardiac care monitors that can be sent throughout the hall ways of the hospital.

The Taojiang County Hospital is in a city of 800,000 people, a small city compared to the many big cities in China. The people in Taojiang were so friendly, warm and nice. They invited some of our medical team to visit their home, they wanted to have their pictures taken with “Americans” and the young boys and girls wanted to speak to us to try out their English.

The Hospital greeted us with open arms with a big banner thanking Rotary International and the Maria Yee Inc. and Assist International for providing for the hospital this wonderful equipment.

It was this equipment that was a motivating force to build a new wing of the hospital. It also lifted their medical care to the place that they have been invited to be a “sister” hospital to a much larger hospital in Changsha, the capital city of Hunan Province.

Our medical team was made up of people from Assist International, a GE Engineer from GE Healthcare, a lady cardiologist doctor from Chengdu and Hong Kong, representatives of the Rotary Clubs in Rotary District 5170 of California and a Rotary Club of Hong Kong.

It is interesting that the leadership of the hospital smokes constantly, but tried to avoid smoking when we were there. There are no smoking signs in the hospital but largely ignored because the doctors smoke. I don’t want to put down China, but in that hospital they smoke and spit on the floor and the restrooms are atrocious.

After the project was completed, we challenged the hospital to respect the equipment by not smoking around it, to respect their no smoking sign, to do a better job of keeping the hospital and the restrooms clean. They were a little sober with this challenge, but they are determined to follow our instructions because they know that with this new life saving equipment, the hospital is looked at in a new way.


Earthquake

On Monday May 12, the great earthquake hit China. We were 400 miles from the epicenter and felt long rumbling tremors for at least two minutes, strong enough for us to flee the building for fear the building would collapse. It was kind of fearful.

Our Chinese Cardiologist was from Chengdu, close to the epicenter of the earthquake. She found out that two of the doctor friends that she works with lost their only child in the earthquake. She had to leave our group to control her sorrow. We all felt the pain for her and the children and people of China.

The devastation and death in that earthquake was horrendous. It could be that the final toll of death may reach upwards to 100,000 as 70,000 people are still missing or unaccounted for.

We were amazed at the quick response by the people of China. They were donating millions of dollars, the army, medics, doctors, nurses and volunteers throughout China rushed to the scene. The Prime Minister of the Country immediately went to the scene and with tears in his eyes said he was a grandfather and please work hard to rescue the children.

Unfortunately, the earthquake began at around 2:45 p.m. while many children were still in school and thousands of children were killed. What was doubly hard is the “one child” policy of China. Thousands of parents were is despair as the future of their family was lost in the death of their child. Many are either too old or sterile by which they no longer have the ability to have children. It was devastating.

All of us were sobered by what these people were experiencing and our hearts were heavy for those who lost their family members and loved ones. The whole country responded to the need. The response to the disaster was the greatest response I have ever seen.

The closure ceremony for the medical project and a Rotary Wheel Chair Foundation giveaway took place in a public park in front of the County Government Building and before hundreds of people. There was a band, leaders of the Government and the entire Hospital staff present. Other Medical leaders from the capital city were to come, but at the last moment were called to the earthquake zone.

The Chinese certainly know how to express their thanks when they have been helped.

The trip is one that will be remembered forever. Assist International has done over 80 medical projects in 40 countries around the world, but no one demonstrates their thanks like the Chinese people.

After the project was over, a huge dinner was hosted by the hospital and Government leaders for the Rotarians and medical people who attended the event.

The request for this project came from the Maria Yee Furniture Factory. Maria Yee, from China, who now lives in Santa Cruz, CA asked for this project and contributed to this project as a gift to the County where many people work for her company. Maria Yee and her associate Elsie Ponn did a wonderful job of coordinating the trip and project.

We left Taojiang, thankful that we in some small way a blessing to the hospital and we left with new friends.

For more information on the project in China, visit Tim and Ray's blog here.