Xi moved by story of medical workers' devotion

President, NPC deputy laud efforts by young staff who fought virus in Hubei

Editor's Note: This series tells the stories of delegates to the two sessions who are bravely fighting the virus outbreak with extraordinary dedication.

Luo Jie, a National People's Congress deputy from Hubei province, said he was surprised and moved to learn that the story he shared about how local medics went to great lengths to help every COVID-19 patient left a deep impression on President Xi Jinping. It goes to show how important people's lives are in the eyes of Xi, he said on Saturday.

Before the opening meeting of the third session of the 13th NPC－China's top legislature－at the Great Hall of the People on Friday morning, Luo, also president of Taihe Hospital in the city of Shiyan, told reporters a story about how a group of medics from different fields teamed up to save the life of an 87-year-old COVID-19 patient.

He said the elderly patient believed that she would not survive because she had difficulty breathing, high blood pressure and diabetes when she was admitted into the hospital.

"We assembled a team of medics, including a dietitian and a psychologist, to take care of her. After spending 47 days in the hospital, she was discharged. The moment when she thanked us for saving her life was truly unforgettable," he told the reporters.

The talk was broadcast live on TV and moved many people. According to a report by the Xinhua News Agency, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said he was "deeply impressed" by Luo's words.

"This deputy said that more than 3,000 COVID-19 patients aged above 80 were rescued in Hubei. About 10 medics were taking careful care of an 87-year-old woman and finally saved her life," Xi said while attending a panel discussion with the delegation from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Friday.

So many people attended to the patient's needs, and such an act truly reflects the medical workers' desire to protect people's lives at all costs, Xi said, according to Xinhua.

Luo said he was surprised and deeply moved to learn about Xi's remarks.

"It shows how much he cares about people's lives and how important it is for him," he said. "My story is not unique at all. Stories like this have been happening everywhere in Hubei during the tough fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak, as we do believe every life matters."

Further, young medics have fully proved themselves in this battle with their outstanding performances in dire situations and saving lives, Luo said.

"I used to believe that the post-90s generation medics were still too young and even childish sometimes, but their performance during such an important event as the outbreak has changed my mind," he said.

A team of seven post-90s generation male nurses from the hospital's respiratory medicine department took on the heavy responsibility of caring for the COVID-19 patients, including those in severe condition. Luo called them the Calabash Brothers, the well-known seven Chinese cartoon characters with different superpowers.

"They're very skillful and hardworking," Luo said. "The hospital said that the medics should take a break after working in isolation wards, but they often took on longer shifts to help the patients. What's more, they took on the extra duty of medical waste disposal."

After working intensively for 14 days, they took a five-day break and then asked to go back to the front lines together.

"The post-90s generation has proved that they can be counted on," he said.

Hubei and its capital city Wuhan were hit hard by the outbreak. More than 500,000 local medics and 43,000 medics who came to aid the province had worked together to fight the tough battle. Luo said the people in Hubei will never forget the help others have given them during this tough time.

"We will always be grateful for every mask and protective suit sent in. We will always remember the medics who risked their lives to fight alongside us," he said.