Things needed in Sichuan that I'm certain

Before we came back, the government announced the 15 things that they needed most at the official government channel.

Things that I know and confirmed are:

醫療救治物資 Medical Items

1. 藥品 Medicines

白蛋白 Albumin

羅紅黴素 Roxithromycin

破傷風免疫球蛋白 Tetanus Immunoglobulin

芬太尼 Fentanyl

多西環素 Doxycycline

2. 器械 Appliances

心電監護儀 ECG

手術包 operation kits

喉鏡 laryngoscope

治療床 treatment table

輕便手術床 portable operating table

擔架 stretcher

心電圖機 electrocardiograph

救護車 ambulance

明膠海綿 gelfoam sponge

頸托 neck collar

固定帶（肩肘、鎖骨、前臂、肋骨）fixing belt for shoulder, elbow, collarbone, forearm and rib

股脛腓支具 thigh and tibiofibula support

攜帶型B超 portable B-mode

消毒機 sterilizer

骨科用固定螺釘 orthopedic fixation screws

麻醉機 anesthesia machine

血液透析機 haemodialysis machine

監護儀 monitor

床旁X光機 bedside X-ray machine

骨科內固定器械（克氏針，鈦棒，鋼板）orthoped

ic internal fixation devices (Kirschner needle, titanium rod and steel sheet)

骨科外固定支架 orthopedic external fixation support

For the rest, please check with the official websites for more accurate information. The above mentioned were in critical needs. Re: Announcement by Gov. China, 30.05.2008

Please pass the message to Orthopedics Surgeons and OT nurses, there is a shortage of hands at this moment.

Patients were being transfered from hospital to hospital, also to another province. Medical teams are needed at the sites.

Team

I am blessed with all my teammates. It is still an 'am' rather than 'was'. :-)

While we were on the plane to Sichuan, John sat beside me, while I was really unsure without a medical qualification as a doctor nor a nurse, what could I possibly do at the site, he said doctor was just a pass to him for attending mission. While compared to his teammates while he was in Burma, he felt his teammates had done better with the teachings. What a humble sharing. I kept silent while thinking about what he said. 

The very first day, I had a very special duty, an official translator in the operation theater, assisting Tim in his work. After work, I asked Tim why did he choose Anesthetist as his profession. His answer was it's really useful, and he could partner with many other doctors for field work. When he said that, I could imagine seeing him working in the war zone, trying to relief pain of the soldiers, and taking care of their breathing. 

Then, KeekeeLok, a nurse. He stayed back for another week in Sichuan to assist another team in relief effort. We chat about church and missions on the last night in Deyang, he told me the most important thing  was to "serve the community". I remained silence after that. Wasn't him right? While we screen the right people for missions and field work, "serving people" and "serving the community", aren't these the qualities that we look at? But sometimes we do care about the attitudes of a person rather than seeing the real job that people had performed.  That was something that I learned through him. 

"I don't know what I can do! But if I need to move the stones, I will do it!" 

"I don't know, I think I can wash their wounds, and I can just help in anything that needs a pair of hands to do it!"

"I just need to go! I need to show them love and care, when every else had left."

"I don't care, it's worth to die this way if I will die in this trip! We need to bring them food and water, at least they can sustain!"

"I'm so afraid if she died the next day, I need to tell her about hope!"

"I could not do anything medically, but I will talk to the patient, the people, if that comforts them."

Popo and Momo went back to Sichuan shortly after we came back from the trip. It was an amazing opportunity to serve with them, my teammates!

We had 27 in our team. Some I had chat with them more, some less. Yet, all had amazing stories behind, and all had served their profession with great respect of human lives. I had worked with many medical personnel in the past, but never I had such experience with working a team such as this, all Die-Hard members, who chose to put others before their own interest. 

What an humble experience to serve with this team. Shalom!

 

Announcement of Urgent Needs Wenchuan5.12

 食品药品监管局公布抗震救灾急需和暂不需要药械

一、药品 Medicine

    （一）生物制品　　冻干人血白蛋白 Albumin

    （二）常用药品　　黄连素（片）Berberine    

    诺氟沙星胶囊（片）

    VC银翘片抗病毒颗粒（片）

    藿香正气液（水）

    清热解毒口服液

    口服蜡样芽胞杆菌活菌片等

    （三）皮肤类外用药品 

    阿昔洛韦

    地塞米松软膏

    达克宁

    皮炎平等

    （四）眼用制剂　　各类眼药水及眼膏

    二、消杀灭药品及用品

    （一）灭菌泡腾片

    （二）奋斗呐

    三、器械及设备

    （一）一次性防护服

    （二）呼吸机

    （三）多参数心电多功能监测仪

    （四）床旁X光机

    （五）B超机等

    （六）银针

    （七）火罐

    四、相关物资 

    （一）煎药机

    （二）包装机

    （三）包装袋

    （四）大型保温桶

    五、短期暂不需要的抗震救灾医用物资

    （一）消杀灭药品　　84消毒液

    一般消毒粉

    （二）药品器械　　　一次性注输器具

    大输液

WenChuan5.12 EarthQuake

It was really a humbling experience in Sichuan, while I thought I went as a public health worker, trying to access and learn about the situation, and thus participate in the subsequent follow up work on a long run. I ended up as a interpreter more than anything else that I could do. 

The situation at the sites was in a constant change. On Tuesday evening we heard a report from the site that there were no road, no food, no resource, no medicine at one place, and when we got there by Thursday, the road was cleared, food and resources were a lot, and two medical team appeared on the same time at the refugee camp at the site. Tents were being distributed, though few families had to squeeze in one tent. 

When there was news from the sites that people were having diarrhea, headache, vomiting, no food, no water, I fear that it could be an outbreak of cholera. I was concerned and insisted that this should be reported to the local authorities. We nearly had a fight within the team on this matter. But what I really had was only theories. My team comprised from a group of loving Christians doctors and nurses who had experience in infectious disease control, and many of them went through SARS. However, I wasn't comfortable because my knowledge and judgement told me otherwise. And of course, it was justifiable because the hospital setting and wide open area were different, as well as SARS and Cholera were different. 

Praise God that when Christians work together, we agree in submission to the decision of the team leader and trusting that God will help us to make a right decision. Moving with the team had always been a priority in missions. Finally, my team decided to move in to access the matter before we do any reporting, and also be prepared of what medical aids may arose at the site. We split into two teams on 5/21, the next day, so that a team stayed in the hospital and another went to inspect the site as a mobile clinic. When they came back, the news proved to be exaggerated, the sites had a lot of resources. Perhaps out of fear, out of uncertainty, or perhaps not having trust of the local authorities. 

So now, I learned to trust. Trusting the Lord, trusting the expertise of my team members, trusting the wisdom and responsibility of the team leader. In the same time, I learned about my in-discernment and lack of risk-communication ability. 

The next day which was also the 10th day after the quake, as it was my turn to visit the site, we went to Shifang, HongbaiZhen, the most remote village in Shifang. As we arrived, we saw another medical team from Sichuan Community Hospital. They just came and just set up a few hours earlier than us. Many tents were set up, and this place was not lack in resources. But as I chatted with the survivors, they told me that this was only set up around these fours days. 

Therefore things proved to change very fast in China. The aftershock warning was just as severe and terrible, and held many people in fear, even in Deyang and Chengdu cities. People continue to live in tents and fear to go home. 

To be Continued......