'Community hospital' run by volunteers gives medical care to neighbors during lockdown

Along with food and parcel deliveries, medical services are the most common needs of residents during pandemic-control lockdowns at a number of residential complexes around Shanghai.

At Xinning Gongyu, a complex in Huajing Town, Xuhui District, which was locked down on March 10, volunteers are helping to make life smooth for all, including 16 medical workers who stand by to cover the health needs of their neighbors.

Colleagues of Shi Xiaomin, a worker at the town's community affairs service center, call her the president of the "community hospital" which is made up of 16 doctors and nurses who live in the complex.

Shi and about 50 community workers arrived on the early afternoon of March 10 to help organize services at the residential complex. On the first day, they worked till 3am the next morning after all of the residents, about 7,800, had done their tests.

"It was a bit hectic, because none of us had experience in handling this," she said. "The idea of sending a call out for volunteers came to our mind after the first day."

Credit: Ti Gong

The next day, 108 residents answered the call, and the number grew to 200 on the third day. With that, a team of doctors and nurses from all medical disciplines was formed.

People with urgent medical needs while under lockdown in a residential complex can be transported to hospital by an ambulance. But the medical volunteers at Xinning Gongyu are very helpful in addressing residents' minor problems.

"This way, those with problems that can be dealt with right away no longer need to wait in line to get an ambulance, and those with acute problems can get served more efficiently," Shi said.

The volunteers have helped people who injure themselves while preparing food by dressing their wounds, nursing those with extracted teeth and old wounds, and giving medical advice to people with chronic disease.

The doctors and nurses wear protection suits when meeting their patients.

"I'm always here for the needs of the people," said Wang Yu, a nurse who works at Renji Hospital.

Residents needing medical care make their first contact with Shi who then relays the tasks to volunteers like Wang.

In one situation, Wang rushed to a boy who injured his eye with a pair of scissors, helping him immediately get treated in a hospital.

Other volunteers help determine the urgency of the needs of patients with serious conditions such as cancer and uremia and arrange for them to get hospital treatment.

Over 30 residents have received services from the medical volunteers as of Wednesday, Shi told Shanghai Daily.

"I feel honored to work with those good-hearted people who are devoted to their profession and have no hesitation to help people wherever they are," she said.

Credit: Ti Gong

Young hearts

"Somehow people have the impression that only retired people take part in community volunteer services, but it's not true," said Bi Xinren, leader of community workers serving the residential complex and vice Party secretary of Huajing Town.

"In special times, our community really shows its solidarity," he said.

While some volunteers signed up in WeChat groups, others simply showed up where they believed they could help.

About 2,000 to 3,000 food orders and parcels are delivered to residential complex residents every day. As they can't leave home, they fetch the deliveries relayed to them from outside the complex by young volunteers.

"Some of these young people volunteered to help although they were not from our WeChat group," Bi said.

Other residential complexes under lockdown in the town are now also seeking help from the service providers and medical volunteers at Xinning Gongyu.

"While residents are thankful to the volunteers, the volunteers are also grateful for this opportunity to help other people because they find it very fulfilling," Bi said.