Editor's note: Since the outbreak of Covid-19, students and former students of the Open University of China (OUC) have been courageously taking up their responsibilities and fighting the disease in accordance with local policies.
A number of them have stood out for their bravery and devotion to duty; their actions have cast the OUC student body as a whole in a favourable light, and the OUC recently named 107 of them “OUC Advanced Individuals Fighting Covid-19”. The OUC news portal will share their stories in order to promote their spirit of courage and public service, hold them up as models, and enhance cohesion among students as progress toward defeating the disease advances.
About Liang Xiaochang
Liang Xiaochang is a head operating-room nurse at the No. 1 Hospital of Yongnian District, Handan City, Hebei Province. He enrolled as a nursing student at Yongnian Radio and TV University (Yongnian RTVU) in the spring of 2018.
I started working in the hospital in December 1997, and helped fight SARS in 2003. In 2015, I served as head nurse of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and became operating-room head nurse in August of that year.
After the outbreak of Covid-19 during the spring festival in 2020, as a member of the third medical team of Hebei Province and second medical team of Handan, I was dispatched to Wuhan, and with my 138 coworkers worked courageously under Party leadership to contain the epidemic at a temporary hospital in Wuchang District. We took care of 654 Covid-19 patients, of which over 500 were discharged, with no infections among the nursing team. For my achievements, on 5 March 2020 I was named an “Advanced Individual Fighting Covid-19 in the National Health System”, a title granted to only 9 people in Hebei Province.
Assuming a Party Member’s Responsibilites
As a Party member, my responsibility is to rush to the forefront when the nation and our people need it. When Covid-19 became an epidemic, my hospital was designated as the district hospital for treating it, and I submitted a written request to the leadership to take part on the front lines. At 2:00 a.m. on 4 February, while in the isolation ward, I received notice requesting I lead 9 staff from our hospital to Wuhan immediately. Without the slightest hesitation, I began to help the leaders form a team and prepare all required materials. Seven hours after the notice, my team took an oath in front of the outpatient building of the hospital: "Patients entrust their lives to doctors and are closely bound with us through ties of health. It is our duty to aid Wuhan. Let’s unite as one and overcome the epidemic." With that we left for the front lines.
After arriving at Wuchang Temporary Hospital, while participating in the nursing work, I was also responsible for constructing a temporary Party branch, and on 7 February it was officially established, with me in charge of propaganda. Using a small blackboard, and social-media apps such as WeChat and Meipian, I spent my spare time after work passing on the plans for controlling the disease laid out by the Party Central Committee, and especially the spirit of general secretary Xi Jinping's speech on the topic, to the rest of the team, who responded by carrying out "I am a Party member, I take the lead" activities, marking "CPC Member" on their protective clothing, and giving out CPC emblems to patients who were also members. Such patients were given guidance in patient management, and tasked with promoting harmony between doctors and patients. The red flag of the Party, easily identifiable, encouraged the fighting spirit of everyone there.
Work against Difficulties and Guarding Health
We arrived at the hospital on 5 February, the night before Wuhan proclaimed that hospital treatment would be available to everyone. The team started work immediately, before even getting to know each other. I remember that in the most serious situations, one nurse had to take care of 56 patients.
The large number of patients, their anxiety, the heavy tasks, and the Wuhan dialect, unfamiliar to most of our nursing staff, all contributed to the challenges we faced. In order to ensure the smooth progress of our work and establish good doctor-patient relationships, I held an emergency meeting with the experienced staff on our team, and made our methods clear: checking in on patients frequently, learning and listening, and ensuring that their needs were satisfied. These steps helped us maintain good relationships with our patients, earn their trust, and calm them down. In the end, they treated us as family members - the friends and guardians of their health.
Approach Management Scientifically and Work Hard to Take Care of Patients
Nursing is important, and the safety of nursing staff, which is what allows a hospital to function, is even more so. In order to ensure it, I established a strict system of protection. I myself worked on the front line, wearing airtight protective clothing that fogged my goggles and soaked me in sweat. Water could be squeezed from my mask, and despite some protective measures, many of us had blisters on our faces. However, only words of encouragement, not complaint, were to be heard. Through our selfless sacrifices and dedication, we were able to treat everyone, and our hospital became a model for such hospitals in Wuhan.
On 18 March, we were informed that our work was finished and we could go home. I will remember my experience in Wuhan forever, not least because of how we united to fight the epidemic.
In the spring of 2018, I enrolled at the OUC, a university offering an open and advanced form of education, enthusiastic and professional tutors, and massive high-quality online resources, helping me to grow in both knowledge and skills. The free and flexible scheduling and study methods of the OUC also make it easy to work and study at the same time. I treasure the more than two years I have spent studying at Yongnian RTVU; my professional and technical abilities have grown, and I have had an opportunity to help the country fight the epidemic. I shall always keep in mind general secretary Xi Jinping's instructions to "grow vigorously in the service of the people, sharpen the will and character in struggle, and put your skills to use", and continue to study and work hard, dedicating the energy of my youth to where it is most needed!
By OUC News Network