On International Doctors’ Day, doctors from the 12th wards in the eastern sector of the Fourth Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine receive a special and lovely present, which carries warmth delivered from the patients of different nationalities. Coupled with blessing in various languages, a video has also been made by the foreign patients, of whom Mr. Yurii a patient from Ukraine even flew a kiss.
With regular treatment in the hematology department of the Hospital every Thursday since March this year, treatments on thrombosis amid others for Mr. Yurii have shown good. The story of his interagency treatments has to date back to four years ago.
In 2014, Mr. Yurii from Kiev, capital of Ukraine, was diagnosed to have multiple myeloma at a local hospital, but no proper treatment could be delivered due to the limited conditions of the hospital there.
On the other hand, Yurii’ daughter, Maryna fell in love with a Chinese young man, when in university in Kiev. After graduation, Maryna accompanied her husband to Zhejiang province, China, and in Yiwu the couple began to start a company addressing foreign trade. The past 14 years have seen their business namely cover Ukraine, Iraq and Russia.
Lately, a new identification has been added to Maryna, who performs as the first Russian volunteer for the Hospital above, about which the story has to be from her father.
“My familiarity for China began the time when I, a sophomore, studied in Shanghai Jiao Tong University as an exchange student. And, China has left me a deep impression.” Maryna discloses, so her first reaction is to take her father to RUIJIN Hospital, School of Medicine of Shanghai Jiao Tong University for check. However, repeated checks require journey early departure in Yiwu for Shanghai. In return, tiredness is born and has invited much depression in her father, who is afraid to cause much trouble for his busy daughter. Anyway, a great number of patients in the hospital there often delay their return time, when the father and the daughter would have to stay till night or even back to Yiwu on the next day. Correspondingly, Maryna has made efforts to find an alternative hospital in Hangzhou, but with much trouble.
A regular check has to be delivered for my father, so that necessary indicators can be obtained for medicine. They have spent over a half of year for medical checks in Shanghai before they have learnt that HAUGN Jian, a famous doctor from Hangzhou is to be transferred to work in the newly founded Fourth Affiliated Hospital. Accordingly, Maryna has snatched up the chance by getting touch with the doctor, which seems to be a solace for her.
Treatment in the Fourth Hospital brought her father much improvement before he had to return to Ukraine in 2016, due to affaires concerning the visa, according to Maryna. “My father thought himself that his illness was almost cured, so drug withdrawal took roughly a year, when there was no final result for repeated examinations at the local hospital. I was left with no alternative choice but to brave myself to find Doctor HUANG again for a try.” To the surprise of Maryna, the doctor expressed much consideration to her father, and began to perform transnational treatment after examining the check feedbacks from the Ukrainian hospital.
During that interim, Maryna visited doctor HUANG regularly at the outpatient department, together with examination results for her father in Ukraine. In return, the doctor tailored medical treatment for two periods accordingly, before Maryna sent the medicine to her hometown.
During the interview, Maryna confided that there is a far cry from the hospital in her hometown and that in Yiwu, as the medicine her father was taking then was not on sale in the local hospital in Ukraine. “Each time, doctor HUANG will remind possible side effects that the new amount of the medicine may bring about, mingled with occasional follow-ups.” All have made Maryna and her family members unexceptionally moved.
As Yurii grows older, with further improvement of his illness, Maryna was advised to take her father to the Fourth Hospital, for treatment by intravenous medication, so that timely supervision by the professionals will promise consolidate therapy, a foundation preparing the way for transferring treatment, and even for bone marrow transplantation. Correspondingly, Yurii has been on a regular visit to the department on every Thursday since this March, which has secured a good result from his illness, particularly that in thrombosis. Despite Maryna could only spare half a day to stay with her father in the hospital, she would at times trust the hospital staff with her father and return to work again. Smooth communication by Maryna in Chinese has then left a deep impression on the medical personnel, which in return helps made a decision to include Maryna into the “Volunteer Team of Foreign Languages”, so that Maryna has been a part of the team as a Russian volunteer since mid-March.
Her father now loves to live in Yiwu very much, and appreciates the days here, according to Maryna, who discloses that in free time, her father will visit Xuefeng Park, which is close to the community, to meet new friends. Her father thus performs a bridge enabling Maryna’s families to rely on, which is also a reason for her to be a volunteer member of the hospital.
On the afternoon of March 29, Head CHEN Yagang paid a visit to Yurii, and made a long communication with Maryna, expressing the hope to involve her in the voluntary team by the hospital, so that when in terms of international projects, it will be easier for the hospital to deliver smooth services via removing obstacles in languages, by the help of such a volunteer team.
“As long as there is a need, I will be in touch anytime, and my phone is in service all day.” says Maryna enthusiastically.
There are close to 500,000 overseas business people here in Yiwu annually, among whom nearly 20,000 foreign expats with over 200 nationalities live in the city for long. Correspondingly, the growing internationalization of the hospital can greatly invite more sense of happiness and the feeling of belonging for the outbound peers. “Currently, the hospital has maintained a partnership with MSH and other big international insurance corporations, meeting the needs for foreign patients to have their medical compensation. In the future to come, we will continuously strive to make better improvements for higher services with international levels.” adds Head CHEN Yagang.
So far, a group of volunteers involving in Medical Service in Company has been organized by the hospital namely in terms of English, Japanese, Chinese and sign languages. As there are patients from other parts of the world, the importance of the corresponding languages stands out for instructions before operation performance, with those spoken in the Mid-East, Russian and Spanish in particular.
An accident occurred two weeks ago, when a pregnant woman from Bulgaria was taken to the emergency room, who was sent to faint by great pains although she can speak Chinese. What was worse, her family members know nothing about Chinese, which left no other choice but to resort to the WeChat group named Hospital Expats. Fortunately, 2 Russian volunteers have been found, who lent a big hand with timely translation via a social media video.
By the time being, there are 7 volunteers in registration in the volunteer group; among them 5 speak Arabic, one speaks Spanish and the other one speaks Russian (Maryna).
(Group Photo of Maryna’s Parents, Head CHEN Yagang, and Director HUANG Jian)