Chongqing — "As a doctor, it's very rewarding to see my patients recover and go on to have brilliant lives," said Zhou Fachun, the Director of the Department of Critical Care Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. In this episode of Faces of Chongqing, Dr. Zhou Fachun told us his extraordinary experience in saving people in the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 and fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In April of 2018, when I was on business, I got a WeChat Push Notifications from my friend. It was a video program made by China Central Television, telling the story about a scout who takes only 40s to find the key, open the door and then get out of the water. What surprised me was that the main character of this video is our patient during the earthquake relief in 2008. He was the most serious patient among those who were transferred to the rear area for medical treatment at that time." Dr. Zhou said.

Dr. Zhou Fachun remembered the patient was still a kid in 2008 and was in the intensive care unit (ICU) for 46 days, during which he used a 36-day respirator and accepted 30-time continuous blood purification.

"Fortunately, he recovered fully after our treatment. More than a decade later, he has become a scout of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. As his doctor, I felt really moved and encouraging when I saw the video,"  added he.

Early last year, during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the deputy leader of the eighth Chongqing municipal medical team to assist Hubei Province, Dr. Zhou Fachun and 159 medical team members heading for Wuhan No.1 Hospital and took over two ICU integrally. For example, during the treatment of critically ill patients, the medical team rigged up a makeshift bed to give the prompt treatment with tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation to an old lady. 

"All we want is to save all patients at full stretch. I still remember the day one of my patients was discharged. We went to say goodbye at the hospital gate, and he walked forward, carrying his package. Then, he suddenly turned around and bowed deeply to us all in the shadow. Although wearing protective clothing and goggles, we were all touched." 

According to Dr. Zhou Fachun, under the unified deployment of the Communist Party of China, 42,000 medical team members and 344 medical teams throughout the country assisted Hubei in fighting the epidemic.