Chengdu Diary
 
 

Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital

 
“On Alert for More Quake Victims”
 
 

Today Robert Siegel, producer Art Silverman and Xiaoyu Xie, an NPR listener who is helping us out as translator and our guide to Chengdu, checked out relief efforts in the city itself. I tagged along.

At the Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, we were met initially with suspicion about who we were and what we were up to. But concern soon gave way to an openness you probably wouldn't find in most American hospitals. We were allowed into the ER. It was chaotic.

Chengdu nurses

The nursing staff at Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital at the entrance.

Photo by Art Silverman, NPR

Every few minutes ambulances arrived with victims. They were met by a veritable army of nurses and student nurses--20 at one point lined up by the door, white face masks on, blue stretchers at the ready. Those most seriously injured were rushed through a door marked "Red Sector." Others were examined right in the entrance hall to the ER; a room crammed with patients, families, medical personnel, volunteers wearing bright red sashes, as well as a few journalists like us.

A SWIRLING MAELSTROM

As we interviewed the head of the Emergency Medicine, Dr. Hu Weijian, a woman lay on a gurney in the middle of the room, covered with a grimy comforter. Her arms were badly scratched and bruised and her right leg broken. As the maelstrom swirled around her, the patient was examined, X-rays consulted, and then a flurry of people in white coats wrapped her leg in an old-fashioned plaster cast. We talked to her husband, who enthusiastically praised the government's response to the quake. Military relief workers had pulled his wife from the rubble in one of the hard-hit towns north of Chengdu.

Dr. Hu, the ER chief, told us the hospital had 550 patients and could take another hundred. He said he needed more experienced doctors, those specializing in external medicine--the treatment of broken limbs and so on. Outside the hospital, makeshift wards made of plywood and cheap tarpaulins, designed to handle any overflow of the injured, sat empty, at least for now.

--Chris Turpin

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It brings some relief to know the hospital, this one being the best in the Sichuan province, is ready for further patients.

Sent by Danny Jin | 2:18 PM ET | 05-14-2008

China should allow the outside volunteer specialists if there is any wants to help, bring his own tools...

Sent by Ying Brach | 4:13 PM ET | 05-14-2008

Doctors Without Board is in China as well as in Myanmar helping people there. Thank you all, thank you NPR.

Sent by ML | 4:31 PM ET | 05-14-2008

Thank you for reporting this!

Sent by M | 12:27 AM ET | 05-15-2008

Robert and Melissa,
Thank you for your reports. I listen to All Things Considered all the time. I am from Yunnan, the province south of Sichuan. There were death and injuries in my hometown too, although not as severe. Your story reconnect me with my suffering country fellows. Please stay safe.

Sent by HY | 11:02 AM ET | 05-15-2008

To all Chinese citizens affected by the quake: As an American, my heart goes out to you and my thoughts are with you, as are many other Americans'.

We know that certain parts of our country are subject to the possiblity of major earthquakes too, and tragedy like yours is not far away.

May the universe watch over you, and to those of you who have lost loved ones, please accept our empathy and condolences on their passing.

Sent by kat | 11:38 AM ET | 05-15-2008

I am a regular listener of NPR. Good job. Thanks.

Sent by James | 2:14 PM ET | 05-15-2008

I believe the Chinese government should allow international medical teams in for help. The expertise and resources will only provide the relief to the local injured. It's also good experience for Chinese to learn how to cooperate with international community to cope with disaster. Hopefully in the future, the good practice and experience can be used for helping other countries that need disaster relief.

Sent by Connie | 10:28 AM ET | 05-16-2008

For all the work NPR has been doing to cover this disaster, my appreciation is beyond words...

Sent by Oliver Zhang | 11:29 AM ET | 05-16-2008

Dear NPR,

You deserve an international prize for journalism for your professionalism and remarkable work. Congratulations, and thank you very much for all you do.

Your reporting from China is world-class and well-appreciated.

Sent by HJS | 1:50 PM ET | 05-16-2008

my mom is a retired doctor and was in one of medical teams for tangshan earthquake. in the early morning of july 28, the boss of the hospital my mom worked for and a guy showed up in my home, gave my mom ten minutes to get extra cloths ready and go for a "emergency task". i remembered my mom asked who was going to take care my children, how long it would be; the answer was there would be someone in the house shortly to take care of us but he could not say how long it would be. my mom just wrote a quick note for everyday tasks and left for that "emergency task". later we figured out it must be the tangshan earthquake and she confirmed that after she came back. she was there for over one month and never talked about the details.

Sent by ipfreak | 9:14 PM ET | 05-17-2008



   
   
   
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About 'Chengdu Diary'

We first launched this blog in the spring of 2008, when a team from NPR's All Things Considered headed to Chengdu, China, the capital of Sichuan Province, to prepare for a week of special programming on China. On May 12, 2008, the staff found themselves in the middle of an unexpected story when a massive earthquake struck southwestern China.

The 2008 entries on this blog offer a day-by-day chronicle of the team's experiences before and after the quake. The 2009 entries document a return visit to Chengdu and to the parts of Sichuan Province most affected by the disaster.

For more about the project, please be sure to read our Frequently Asked Questions guide and our discussion rules.

 
 

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