May 14th, By Ray Schmidt
The earthquake in China has now claimed over 12,000 lives. It’s an odd feeling to be here in Taojiang, 600 miles away from the epicenter of the quake, and it’s as if nothing catastrophic has happened. The streets are crowded, the hospital is a hive of activity, and we are continuing with our installation. Qing was finally able to contact her husband in Chengdu and he is alright. None of her family or friends was hurt by the earthquake.
Today we wrapped up the installation. We converted all the monitors to the Chinese language, tested them, and connected patients to the equipment. The new ultrasound was immediately put to use on twenty patients yesterday. The installation has gone very smoothly.
A group of Rotarians from California arrived today and visited the hospital. They represent Rotary District 5170, which encompasses a large part of the Bay Area. Rotary Clubs from that district sponsored this project and we were glad to show them what their support has brought about. The Taojiang County Hospital is one of the smaller hospitals in the region and there were some questions about why this particular hospital had been selected. One reason was that the hospital had a real need. It was a neglected hospital, largely ignored by the Ministry of Health, and it needed the medical equipment we could provide. The hospital also serves a large population of poor individuals. This particular region of China is isolated from the economic boom occurring in other parts of the country. The hospital also has a strong group of doctors and nurses that would be able to utilize the medical equipment. All these factors played a role in deciding to help this particular hospital.
Armin (pictured) has made a real effort to learn as much Chinese as possible. It’s an incredibly difficult language, but he’s been working at it everyday. His attempts at the language have been a good source of humor for the locals, who burst into laughter whenever he tries a new word or phrase, but then they quickly come to his aid and encourage him.
Today we wrapped up the installation. We converted all the monitors to the Chinese language, tested them, and connected patients to the equipment. The new ultrasound was immediately put to use on twenty patients yesterday. The installation has gone very smoothly.
A group of Rotarians from California arrived today and visited the hospital. They represent Rotary District 5170, which encompasses a large part of the Bay Area. Rotary Clubs from that district sponsored this project and we were glad to show them what their support has brought about. The Taojiang County Hospital is one of the smaller hospitals in the region and there were some questions about why this particular hospital had been selected. One reason was that the hospital had a real need. It was a neglected hospital, largely ignored by the Ministry of Health, and it needed the medical equipment we could provide. The hospital also serves a large population of poor individuals. This particular region of China is isolated from the economic boom occurring in other parts of the country. The hospital also has a strong group of doctors and nurses that would be able to utilize the medical equipment. All these factors played a role in deciding to help this particular hospital.
Armin (pictured) has made a real effort to learn as much Chinese as possible. It’s an incredibly difficult language, but he’s been working at it everyday. His attempts at the language have been a good source of humor for the locals, who burst into laughter whenever he tries a new word or phrase, but then they quickly come to his aid and encourage him.
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