30 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 13, 2020 http://www.bjreview.com
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a Shuang, an ear and throat disease
expert, has worked at the Zigong No.4
People’s Hospital in Sichuan Province in
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ago. In these years, she has never spent the
Spring Festival, the most important traditional
Chinese festival, with her family in her home-
town.
“This is not overtime work for me, it is part
of my normal duties,” she told Beijing Review.
As doctors, Ma and her colleagues are on shift
duty all year round, including during the Spring
Festival period, making it impossible for them to
enjoy any holiday completely.
Ma was on duty for 24 hours, from 8 a.m.
on January 24, Lunar New Year’s Eve, to 8 a.m.
the next day. It is something not many people
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about 60 patients.
“We have shift duty during the Spring
Festival every year, and I’m used to it,” Ma said,
adding that this year was very different. On
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confirmed case of the novel coronavirus. At
the time of the interview with Ma, leaders and
department heads of the hospital were having
a meeting on how to conduct anti-virus work.
Several days before, special staff members had
been assigned at the entrance of the hospital
to take the body temperature of everyone who
entered the facility. Those with fever were im-
mediately transferred to the fever clinic.
Ma explained that when examining patients,
she and her colleagues have to wear head mir-
rors, making it inconvenient for them to wear
protective glasses. In addition, they are very
close to the patients during examination, lead-
ing to high exposure risks.
Gao Shan, head of Ma’s department, has
been reminding his colleagues to protect them-
selves well. Gao was not on duty on New Year’s
Eve, but he went to work anyway to carry out
what he does every year: boiling dumplings for
all the staff on d uty and the patients in the ward.
At midnight, patients were still flowing in but
Ma hoped she might be able to fit in a nap soon,
which would be her best New Year’s gift.Q
On Duty
Doctors spend the Spring Festival
treating patients By Wei Yao
15- Ma Shuang with patients
- A nurse tests a patient’s blood glucose as the
Spring Festival Gala of the China Central Television
plays on TV - Ma Shuang examines a patient
- Gao Shan boils dumplings for staff on duty and
ward patients on Lunar New Year’s Eve - Ma Shuang checks medical imaging