Volunteers help to cure ills at home and abroad

I am determined to continue offering my skills

As an obstetrician at a tertiary hospital, I see many patients who have been referred from grassroots medical institutions. Many have serious conditions due to factors such as improper diagnosis or treatment, or a lack of relevant knowledge. Some mothers lost their child or even died themselves.

That's why I want to do my share to help improve the skills of obstetricians in impoverished areas and provide better education about maternal healthcare.

Before I joined the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, I had volunteered five years in a row to visit impoverished counties on March 8－International Women's Day－and give lectures on maternal healthcare.

The trips were not easy, and some people in the counties could not understand why I had visited.

I told them I had volunteered to spread understanding of maternal healthcare, and I did not want any money.

So, in May 2017, when I saw a medical group message on WeChat saying the association was recruiting, I registered immediately. I felt I had finally found an organization I could be part of.

Since then, I have been to impoverished counties in provinces such as Guizhou, Anhui and Hebei.

The major hospitals in the counties were fitted with basic equipment thanks to local government investment, but some of the apparatus was not being used because none of the doctors were familiar with it.

Unlike major hospitals in big cities, county hospitals generally lack experienced, qualified doctors, and those that are there have few opportunities to visit other places to receive training.

Moreover, many local women don't understand proper maternal healthcare.

That results in them failing to detect conditions, so they don't visit the hospital until the problem is serious.

In addition to providing training for local medical staff, such as emergency midwifery and monitoring embryo's heartbeats, I also help to provide diagnoses or treatment for patients with serious conditions, at the urging of the local doctors.

A lack of anesthesiologists means pain-free natural births are not promoted in the hospitals, so I taught the medical staff alternative methods of relieving labor pains, such as using massage tools on the mother's back.

I have a full-time job at my hospital in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, so I can only work as a volunteer at weekends or holidays, staying just a few days. Every time, I bring my laptop, so I can show videos and give slide presentations for training purposes.

Before I leave, I share my mobile phone number and WeChat details with the doctors in the hospitals. That means we can keep in touch after I return to Shijiazhuang in case they need any technical assistance or help with diagnosis and treatment.

During those few days of voluntary work, the schedule is always very tight. In the evenings, we volunteers share our experiences of the day. When we are on the bus returning to the airport, we share stories about our few days together. At that moment, all the fatigue leaves us and we are full of joy because we have helped patients in poor areas.

I am determined to continue offering voluntary services because my dream is to see mothers and babies safe in wards.

I hope pregnant women can be treated well in their hometowns, so fewer serious cases will have to be transferred to big city hospitals.

Xin Hong spoke with Wang Xiaodong.