The Wenchuan earthquake happened nearly a year ago, and everyone has tried their best to reconstruct their home towns. But the mental healing is a long process. Recently, the International Cooperation Agency and All-China Women’s Federation, has been focusing on providing vocational training for survivors, in order to help them cope with some of the effects of the disaster on mental health.
Earthquakes occur frequently in Japan, and the Japanese have a great deal of experience about how to help quake-afflicted people overcome the barrier of fear. A 41-year-old Japanese man, assisted in the rescue work. In spite of the frightening situation, he insisted on taking part in the relief work. After the earthquake, he couldn’t sleep at night, and he couldn’t forget quake-afflicted people’s faces. He lives in a car, in order to escape from any future earthquakes.
“Many people after this earthquake also have psychological problems , but they don’t know how to deal with it, we hope we can help them through it in positive ways,” said Mr. Kato, the Deputy Director of the Mental Health Centre, in Hyogo, Japan.
“Through this training course, I know not only children need psychological aid , but also the teachers need this help. I will try my best do my work well, I believe our love will help children in the disaster areas,” wrote Luo Xiaoyan, from an experimental primary school, after the training.
[Approx. English translation by SQR]
距“512”汶川大地震发生已近一年，家园通过重建正逐渐恢复昔日的美丽，而如何进行“心灵的重建”却是一个艰巨而漫长的过程。日本国际协力机构和中华全国妇女联合会日前在成都举办了面向灾区从事心理援助工作人员的培训班，以帮助更多的人走出心理阴影。
作为地震多发国的日本，过去曾遭受过数次重大地震灾害，在针对受灾民众心理持续支援活动中积累了十分宝贵的经验和见识。日本兵库县心理卫生中心副主任加藤宽说，日本有一名41岁的男子，地震后参加救助倒坍房屋下的居民，看到了惨不忍睹的尸体，并坚持开展救助活动。但夜里他开始失眠、做噩梦，即使在清醒时也会回想起挖出来居民的面孔。此后的一年半，他住在车上，不愿回到原住地，以便再次地震时容易逃离，而且再也无心工作。在四川地震灾区，很多人正面临着同样的心理问题，自身却并没有意识到。”加藤宽期望通过专业的心理援助，让四川地震灾区的人们打开心结，尽快走出心理阴影。
“我看到原来不仅孩子需要心理援助，老师也同样需要。作为一个普通人，我希望能做好最善良的自己，用一颗阳光的心去驱散地震带给孩子们内心的阴影。”来自绵竹实验小学的罗晓燕老师在培训会上写下这样的感想。
Archive for the ‘Health care’ Category
20090301: Training in coping with the mental challenges of the disaster
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009200807: Good Grief: Lynda Dyer, Beate and Peng
Monday, March 2nd, 2009Early in July 2008, SQR blog caught up with Lynda Dyer, who has written ‘Good Grief,’ a book for children intended to help them cope with grief and bereavement. Here are extracts from the interview, with Lynda, and her friends and colleagues, Peng and Beate.:
LD: We landed on 12th May, and somebody mentioned that there had been an earthquake. The earthquake was at 2.28pm and we landed at 6.30pm. I was here teaching Neuro Linguistic Programming for a few days. We were here in town and so we couldn’t help but hear the news. On the TV we saw at the bottom of the TV screen that they were looking for coaches.
So we said, we can do something we are coaches, we coach coaches. So they kept asking us for coaches. The people were devastated and needed help to get through this, so I went back with this scathingly brilliant idea, we call it.
Peng was amazing, because once you give her an idea she flows with it.
She also has an incredible network of contacts.
We were flying off each other, bouncing ideas off each other, and I said, I don’t think we can do this on our own. So let’s look at the organizations which are going in there, and what qualifications they had.
She ended up doing a lot of the work in finding out what was happening.
And then it went from there we found people, well Peng did. Also, Beate would find organizations, and even when I went back to Australia, there were organizations we were then contacting, telling them we need money to get the books translated into Chinese, but the money wasn’t forthcoming at the beginning.
So we went ahead and got the books printed anyway, not even knowing how we were going to fund it. When I came back here in June, the books arrived, but we still didn’t know how we were going to pay for them.
There were various things going on, including a triathlon event.
Peng’s friend asked here, How about if I put it to the group tonight that we can fund the books?
The people were very generous, and the organiser started the ball rolling by putting 5000 rmb on the table, which was amazing.
Then I ran a values morning and people paid for that, and donated the money, and soon we had enough for the first set of books.
It just went from there, and more donors were found, and we decided that the minute we got money for the next 2000 books, we start printing.
…Every time we met somebody they were really excited about what we were going to do, because it was so positive, we had a book, we had something that they liked and the kids liked, and the parents liked.
If they didn’t like it, then OK, it was an idea, it could just fade out.
However, it was so well received, we kept on working on it.
We went up to the earthquake zone, to the epicentre.
We met the most amazing volunteers. We were told we would have trouble getting through the checkpoints, but we never had any problems…
We’ve had this trip this time, and we also came back here in June. Friday was amazing. We went up there we had no contacts. School had finished. A few kids were hanging around, and they knew we were the writers of the book. A teacher came up to us and asked us if we would come along to his school. We said we would, and the next thing we were in the school. The headmaster there is amazing, he really makes things happen. His school was educating students from the other schools that didn’t exist any more, and he now had 1200 students. He asked for 1200 books. We would also like to help him get the land for the school he wants to build.
So we came back and we had an order for more books.
We need at least 2000 books per school, so we’re looking to print about 10,000 books in the next run.
It’s a big order, but if these books will help kids, parents, and grandparents turn around from being in grief, then it’s well worth it.
We have also talked at length with SQR about how we can work together to make more things happen…
SQR blog: Today when you went up into the quake-hit area, you took part in a sports day.
What’s changed since June?
LD: We were with the right people who have permissions, which made things easier.
We helped set up activities. I was a soccer coach, we played soccer, volleyball, a big parachute game, shuttlecocks, and there were also arts and crafts…
Beate: Art and crafts: it was amazing. I didn’t know what to do. I started cutting paper hearts, and they all wanted to do this, and then one boy who was very creative started making bracelets.
It was wonderful to see how they help each other and how creative they are.
Then something else came up, which was face painting. They kept coming back. Other children kept coming over and they were happy to be doing these activities.
LD: There were many tables, with colouring in, giant jigsaw puzzle for older kids, a Winnie the Pooh puzzle for the smaller kids, and plenty of other things to do.
The people we went with today are from the Rainbow Project. They do an amazing job, they go up there every Sunday.
They take up around 20 people. Not everyone goes every week. Whoever wants to go can go. There is a little handout, and you put your name down for arts and crafts, dance, music etc.
Every Sunday they know to come to this spot for activities. The numbers of kids are declining because more housing is becoming available in more places, and it’s further to go for a lot of the kids.
The plan is to come back every month.
We’re also in touch with people in Sydney now, we’re looking to work with the government, and there’s a huge Chinese community there. Maybe they lost people here.
Distribution is done by 5 different organizations. Postage is becoming expensive, so we are looking to print locally here in Chengdu.
It’s been an overwhelming experience. Head of XL has invited me to go back to Australia via Hong Kong, so opportunities are coming. We will print as many books as are needed. The next run is 10000. We are paying all our way for everything. We just want the books printed, and we hope they help people.
[SQR blog: apologies to Lynda and her team for taking so long to post this]
Read Lynda’s account of her contact with earthquake victims
20090119: Rehabilitation for those with physical injuries
Friday, February 27th, 2009四川灾区的“王海清”现象
Professor Li said that there was a so-called “golden period”, which is three months after their injury. If proper treatment and rehabilitation services were provided within this period, possible disability could be avoided. More importantly, persistent treatment is also critical after the golden period if a full recovery is not achieved, or the patient may permanently lose the chance of a full recovery.
“Our survey in Jiangyou City demonstrated that, 65% of the quake-wounded people needed more active rehabilitation treatment. Accordingly, it is estimated that the total number of patient in such condition in Sichuan is at least between 6000-7000, whereas the services we had provided is far from enough.”
On Feb 11th, Professor Li was told by an official in Sichuan Provincial Department of Public Health that, the estimated figure on this issue was also 7000. “This conclusion is not a copy of our research posted on the internet but drawn from their own independent statistics collected from local departments of public health.” Professor Li added.
Insufficient capital is the major fact that has brought Wang Haiqing and many people like him to this quagmire. Professor Li and his team had proved this by their firsthand experience.
The China Rehabilitation Academy has been appealing to organize a national aid group that could give some support to people in need. When this proposal was finally approved by the Central Department of Public and the aid team was ready to entre the quake-hit region with100 medical experts, local government had no choice but to refuse their kindness – they couldn’t afford it. “The financial aid had not arrived yet. No money for first aid, not to mention rehabilitation. The experts we brought over didn’t charge a penny for seeing patients or other services. Local government or hospital only needed to provide meals and accommodation. However that was also unaffordable.”
Dec 31st, all medical financial aid was stopped. Those wounded had to leave for home. “Afterwards, there were not that many quake-injured people taking rehabilitation in Chengdu. None in Huaxi Hospital or Hospital of Orthopedics, some in Chengdu No.2 People Hospital…Now the biggest rehabilitation center is Mianzhu City People Hospital and a county level hospital, only because they had the support of our project and the Hong Kong Fuyou Fund.”
According to a staff in Sichuan Provincial People hospital, there are still dozens of patient who couldn’t afford to pay but also wouldn’t leave the hospital. So far, there’s no relevant policy released working on this issue. The hospital didn’t kick out these people for humanitarian concern, which left them an enormous financial pressure.
Jiang Tao, the spokesman of Sichuan Provincial Department of Public Health, told the journalist of China Economics: “From 12th May to 31st Dec, this period was defined as emergency aid period, in which to see a doctor was gratis for both injured people and ordinary patient. So far there is no respond to our proposal calling for new medical assistance policy.”
Then how much money on earth are we talking about.
It is calculated by Professor Li: “it is approximately 3000 per person. Even if all of the 7000 wounded are from poverty stricken families, it still needs only 210 million to solve this problem. Not to mention we will certainly make assessment on every family’s financial condition, make sure the money was spent on people who need it the most.”
Of course it was agreed that such capital should be provided by the government instead of individuals or non-government organizations since administrative order on searching and helping people like Wang Haiqing would be a lot more efficient than any other efforts.
励建安教授告诉中国经济时报记者，地震伤员的康复有三个月的“黄金期”，如果那时能持续做好，就能少去很多麻烦，可惜都早早出院了。“黄金期”过后，未得到有效康复的伤员依然应该坚持救治，否则他们就将永远失去恢复健康的机会。
“江油现场调查的结果实质性地表明，６５％的患者需要积极的康复医疗。据此推算，四川需要康复医疗的患者至少在６０００—７０００人以上。而我们已经提供的服务远远不足！”
２月１１日，四川省卫生厅的官员告诉励教授，省厅的预计值也是７０００人。“我昨天问了卫生厅官员，厅里的数字７０００人是不是根据我们在网上公布的预计来的，回答说不是，说是他们根据各地卫生局报告的统计结果。”励建安对本报记者说。
在资金短缺的问题面前，康复医疗救治不能到位——这是地震伤员一步步陷入困境的最主要因素。
一直在灾区为伤员的后续康复治疗奔走的励建安教授以亲身经历证实了这一点：“中国康复医学会提出组织国家康复医疗队来支援，终于得到卫生部的认可，组织了国家康复医疗队。列了１８０—１９０人的医疗专家名单，最终落实能来的有１００人左右，当地不要。开始，第一批的是要的，但后来就不要了。因为连当地一些康复机构的基层工作人员的工资都付不起，国家的钱又没有到位，急救的钱都没有到，就更别说康复的钱了。国家的钱就始终进不到医院，专家来了，看病服务都不要钱，但是吃饭和住宿当地要安排，就连这一点地方都有困难，以后的批次便干脆不要了。”
“去年１１月中旬，通知说全部撤退，１２月３１日，所有的医疗费用停止，伤员动员回家。许多医院的伤员出院，华西医院，此后就一个也没有了，骨科医院一个没有，省人民医院有几十个，成都第二人民医院有一些，现在最大的康复中心是绵竹市人民医院，一个县级医院，是因为有我们项目的支持，有香港福幼基金会的支持。”
２月６日下午，四川省人民医院的工作人员对中国经济时报记者说，目前，国家和省里还没有相关政策下来，医院完全是基于人道主义的考虑，没有将付不起钱的患者赶走，但是医院已经不得不考虑面临的巨大经济压力。
２月１０日，四川省卫生厅新闻发言人江涛对中国经济时报记者说，地震发生之后到１２月３１日之前，国家定位为应急救助时期，在这个时期内，灾区的地震伤员乃至普通病人，看病都是不花钱的。１２月３１日之后，国家没有出台政策，省卫生厅为此曾多次向上提交报告，希望能出台政策，但是到现在还没有回音。
资金，究竟需要多少？励建安教授测算说，“如果比照在江油所做的，均摊下去，可以算为平均每人３０００元，即使这７０００名患者都是困难家庭，也只需要２１００多万元便可以解决一个这么大的问题，何况我们还可以对患者家庭做评估，保证将资金用在最缺乏经济能力的患者身上。”
一位志愿者对中国经济时报记者说，这笔钱，如果依靠社会，将难免会遗漏未被发现的“王海清”，如果政府出资，并且发动各级医疗机构切实查找，就能基本为地震伤者尽到人道主义的义务。
[SQR's approx. translation into English]
20090114: Xinhuanet: Japan offers $1.35 mn help to quake zone
Thursday, February 26th, 2009Japan offers $1.35 mln help to China’s quake zone
Xinhua 2009-01-14 19:13:08
Japan will donate ambulances and fund eight projects in Chinese areas affected by the May 12 earthquake.
The assistance is valued at 1.35 million U.S. dollars.
According to an agreement signed Wednesday between China’s Commerce Ministry and the Japanese Embassy in China, Japan will help construct one medical clinic as well as a disease control and prevention building.
In Da’nangou and Xinzhai villages in the Gansu Province, Japan will fund the construction of two primary schools. The timetable for the project was not released.
The money will also be used to purchase supplies of drinking water, medical equipment and 20 ambulances which will be used in the Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces.
Japan shares the pain of the Chinese in the Wenchuan earthquake and will provide further help for quake reconstruction, said Yuji Miyamoto, Japanese Ambassador to China.
China’s vice minister of Commerce Yi Xiaozhun expressed thanks to the Japanese government for its help.
The Wenchuan 8.0-magnitude earthquake on May 12 left more than 87,000 people dead or missing and millions homeless. The cost was put at more than 845 billion Yuan.
20090113: news.sohu.com: Chuan Kong Rehabilitation Centre (Chuan Gang kang fu zhong xin) opened
Thursday, February 26th, 2009川港康复中心在四川挂牌成立 港府拨逾2亿援建
2009年01月13日 来源：中国新闻网
http://news.sohu.com/20090113/n261727006.shtml
（图片来源：大公报）
Chuan Kong Recovery Centre opened on 12th January 2009
On 12th January 2009, the Chuan Kong Rehabilitation Centre (Chuan Gang kang fu zhong xin), funded with 224 million Yuan from the Hong Kong government, officially opened in Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital. This is the first rehabilitation centre the Hong Kong government has funded in mainland China and also one of 20 projects that the Hong Kong government plans to work on as part of its support for Sichuan.
The rehabilitation of the injured in the May Quake is a very important part of post-quake relief. Tang Yingnian, Hong Kong SAR Financial Secretary, expressed his concern and support on this issue when he and the Hong Kong inspection group visited Sichuan recently. Afterwards, the Hong Kong and Sichuan governments signed a letter of intention of Constructional Support from Hong Kong Government on 7th Nov 2008, when the initial 2 billion reconstructive support funds were approved. The main objective of this project was to establish a modernized rehabilitation system that would provide rehabilitative treatment and related training.
Also, on 22nd Dec 2008, the Chuan Kong Rehabilitation Training and Development Project, part of the Stand-Up Program that was started by the International Ethnic-Chinese Orthopedics Association, officially received financial aid from Hong Kong government.
It is understood that the Chuan Kong Rehabilitation Centre, consisting of a Training Centre and Orthopedic Limb Centre, occupies 27 thousand square metres, with 350 rehabilitation beds. Wei Hong, the vice governor of Sichuan Province, stated that CKRC will be a critical base that provides directions and training to rehabilitation centres in 39 substantially quake-hit townships, forming a rehabilitation network covering the entire province.
At present, the preparatory work and personnel training are underway. 4 rehabilitation professionals have already started work in Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, guiding and participating in rehabilitative work on those injured in the quake.
由香港特区政府拨款2.24多亿元人民币援建的川港康复中心，12日在四川省人民医院挂牌成立。据悉，这是香港特区政府在内地成立的第一家康复医疗中心，也是首批香港特区援川重建20个项目之一。
地震伤员的后期康复是灾后重建的重要内容。此前，香港政务司司长唐英年率团考察四川时曾表示，将积极支持四川地震伤员的康复工作，首批20亿援川重建基金获批后，香港特区政府与四川省政府于去年11月7日签署了“香港特区援建川港康复中心意向书”，在四川省人民医院内建设永久性的现代化康复医疗中心，建成集康复治疗与培训指导为一体的一流康复中心。
12月22日世界华裔骨科学会“站起来”计划“川港康复培训及发展中心项目”也正式获得香港政府资助。
据了解，包括川港康复培训中心和肢具矫形中心在内的川港康复中心，建筑面积为2.7万平方米，设康复病床350张。四川省副省长魏宏表示，将以川港康复中心为龙头，对全省39个重灾县的康复分中心给予康复培训和指导，形成全省康复网络。
目前，康复中心的建设前期工作和人才培训正在加紧进行中，“站起来”计划行动中的4位康复专家已常驻四川省人民医院指导并参与地震伤员的康复工作。
20081112: Xinhuanet: 6 months on
Thursday, February 26th, 2009汶川地震半年祭—时间难平伤痕
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2008-11/12/content_10344946.htm
2008年11月12日 新华网
Half year has past, the great pain, however, is still in their memory.
PART 1: TIAN HE Primary School (MIAN ZHU City), Uncle Peng can only smile before those kids’ eyes.
Jan. 11, on the playground, some children are talking about their interesting news with an elderly gentleman. “What did the kind people send to you this time?” the man asked. “Books!”, “Computers!”, “School uniforms!” Children always seem so excited.
Peng is the vice president of the Education Office of the local government. He lost 11 relatives in the violent quake. During the past 6 months, meeting these children has been a rare opportunity to smile.
“Until our schools have been successfully reconstructed and are back to normal operation, I will not shave,” said Peng once, and he is keeping to his promise. Working day after day, stepping into the most seriously hit area, Peng never stopped doing his duty. Three days after the quake, when he had the time to search for his family members, he began to find that they have all gone. “I became a 40 year-old orphan in just 80 seconds; who can believe that?”
In those busy days, he didn’t have time to think about himself. He says he is happy that schools are being rebuilt and that construction is on schedule. But actually, Peng began to feel fairly sad and lonely since he now has more time on his own now.
绵竹天河小学：孩子面前才笑的“彭大爷”
1月11日，绵竹市天河小学，板房教室前的操场上，孩子们围着一位中年人唧唧喳喳。“援建的叔叔阿姨给我们送来了什么？”中年人问。“文具！”“电脑！”“校服！”孩子们七嘴八舌。“我们要好好学习，将来报答他们……”
中年人是绵竹市教育局副局长彭波。这个坚强的北川汉子，地震中失去了11位亲人，半年来，只有在孩子们面前，才露出难得的笑容。
“抗震不结束，我不剃胡子。”几个月来，满脸络腮胡子的彭波风尘仆仆，走遍绵竹灾区每一所中小学校，原先的“彭小伙”变成了“彭大爷”。父母是退休教师，地震3天后，局党委勒令他回家找寻亲人时，北川县城已经面目全非。“短短80秒钟，我成了一个40岁的孤儿。”
过去繁重的工作让他没有太多时间悲伤。但是看着一所所学校恢复正常秩序，我很欣慰，我刮掉了胡子。但他坦言，现在工作量的减少，反而那些多余的时间让他常常陷入悲伤。(记者 李维娜 魏 贺摄影报道)
Part 2：Students and teachers from JU YUAN Middle School are searching for their bright future despite their unforgettable sorrows
To the 15 year-old girl Liu Miao, it is a wound never to heal since she thought her survival was at the cost of the lives of her schoolmate under her feet. When the quake happened, she was running with other students, but she can still remember the moment she jumped over a girl who had fallen down.
“I don’t even know her name, but it is a girl, I’m sure.” She said sadly and mentioned that the girl may be her best friend, who was also buried in the ruins.
We can all understand her first choice in the emergency, but she cannot stop blaming herself ever since then. Only a few seconds after she ran out, the entire building collapsed. 283 of her schoolmates have left, of which 14 were her classmates.
One week after the quake, students restarted their school studies and are now in the pre-fabricated classrooms. “We all know that study must continue, so that our kids have to put their hearts into studying immediately. However, the truth is they have not completely recovered from the great pain of the disaster”, said the teacher Yue Congfu. Many of the students can’t concentrate on their textbooks after such a short time, since it is not an easy thing for them to put their grief to one side. Some kids even felt extremely nervous during countless relatively minor aftershocks.
Teachers have tried many different ways to solve this problem with varying results. A psychological consultant called Chan Ting, together with the consultant group from West China Hospital, is operating their ‘mental construction’ program here in JU YUAN Middle School during the past 6 months, and they have decided to hold this program until two years later.
“You can find many of them who stay silently in the behind of the classroom and do not play with others” Chan Ting said. According to the hospital’s report, 200 out of the total 1500 survival kids in this school now have some kind of psychological disorder, which may “Fortunately, they are young enough to learn how to reconstruct their sense of security and confidence from our counseling courses. We are sure they can have a much better mental condition soon. ”
When talking about the future, YU MIAO, the girl who is good at English, also has clear thoughts — she wants to become a diplomat someday. This September, she will enter high school. As the top student in her class, she said, “I am not only chasing my own dream but also fight for my dear friends who don’t have the chance”.
[SQR's approx. translation from Chinese to English]
聚源中学师生在伤痛中迎接希望
新华网都江堰１１月１１日电（记者姬少亭 吴陈 刘海）对于１５岁的余苗来说，跨过摔倒同学的头顶，从地震逃生的那一幕还不断在眼前浮现，在心里隐隐作痛。
“我没办法摆脱负罪感，我应该救她的。”余苗说，“我连她是谁都不知道，只知道是个女孩。”这个正在都江堰的聚源中学上初中的小女孩喃喃地说，那也许就是她最好的朋友——因为她也没有能够逃出来。 但谁都知道生死交错的一刻，她根本来不及做选择。“那个时候，所有东西都在晃，砖头和玻璃往下掉，大家往外冲——我来不及想。”她刚刚跑出教室没多久，整栋教学楼就在她身后轰然倒塌。“５·１２”地震夺去了学校２８３名学生的生命，其中包括１４名余苗的同班同学。
震后一星期，这所学校在帐篷中复课了，新学期又搬进了由河北省政府和一名唐山籍商人援建的板房教室中上课。“因为学业非常紧张，学生们必须全心投入到功课里面去，但他们还没能从伤痛中恢复过来。”岳崇福说。 许多孩子完全没有心思学习，还沉浸在失去老师和同学的痛苦回忆里。而且余震时他们都非常害怕，坐立不安。“５·１２”地震后，这个地区曾先后发生数千次大小余震。
校方尝试了很多办法让孩子们走出阴影。 四川大学华西医院的心理咨询师陈婷就是其中一位志愿者。她和她的团队已经为聚源中学提供了半年心理辅导，并计划将该帮助持续到两年之后，直至经历地震的孩子们从这所初中毕业。
“我们曾看到好多孩子搬个小板凳坐在教室外面，看着别的孩子发呆，也不参与玩耍，就是硬生生挨到上课。”陈婷说.华西医院的调查问卷显示，在聚源中学的１５００名学生中间，有超过２００名患有“创伤后应激障碍”—一种灾后心理障碍，主要表现为恐惧、抑郁、失眠、注意力下降等，严重的会造成肠胃系统或心血管系统紊乱。“幸运的是，这些孩子年龄较小，比较容易接受心理辅助的干预。我们可以看到他们有明显好转。”她说。
对于未来，余苗也有自己的想法。这个英语很好的女孩，希望将来能当一名外交官。今年９月，她就要升入高中。作为全班成绩最好的学生，“我不仅仅是为了自己而奋斗。我希望我能实现我们大家的梦想。”她说。(记者 雷 声 肖潘潘 魏 贺摄影报道)
20090113: news.sina.com: More than 6000 quake injured urgently need follow-up treatment
Thursday, February 26th, 2009四川逾6000名地震伤员需康复医疗
2008年1月13日 新浪网
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2009-01-13/205317036740.shtml
“There are still 6,000 people who need to receive follow-up treatment otherwise hundreds of people will become disabled for the rest of their life.” One director from Sichuan Provincial Party Committee suggested，“Currently, The priority is to take care of those who injured in the quake.”
This is reported from the tenth Sichuan People’s Political Consultative Conference.
More than 10,000 people have become disabled after the quake. Their follow-up treatment is a fairly serious problem at the moment. They need more doctors, therapists, psychologists, medicines, medical facilities, and even hospitals. What’s more, lack of medicine has already affected the outcome of treatment. Some people discharge themselves from hospital ahead of schedule because of the lack of money. An official proposal to support them must be drawn up this year.
[SQR's approx. translation from Chinese to English]
新华网成都1月13日电 (刘大江 吴晓颖)“汶川大地震造成的万余名伤员中，6000多人仍需积极康复医疗，如现在不能及时得到康复医疗，将有数千伤员终身残疾。”民建四川省委有关负责人为此建议，当前应将伤员康复医疗放在首位。
这是记者13日从成都召开的四川省政协第十届二次会议上了解到的。
“5·12”汶川特大地震中因伤致残人员数量庞大，目前有近1万人进入了残疾人员行列，地震伤残人士面临的康复问题尤为突出。现在在康复医疗中存在以下问题：一是医疗康复技术人员不足，专科医师、治疗师匮乏；专业医疗机构、社区康复机构心理康复人才缺乏；二是医疗器材设施未能及时采购，影响部分地震伤员康复医疗效果；三是在伤残人员的后续康复治疗中，2009年的康复费用负担不明确，导致部分伤员因担心医疗自费而提前出院”
20090112: Xinhua: Quake area students to visit Philippines
Thursday, February 26th, 2009Students from Sichuan quake-hit areas to visit Philippines
www.chinaview.cn
BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) — A total of 100 secondary school students from the areas hit by the May 12 earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province will pay a visit to the Philippines, at the invitation of the Philippine Government, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang announced here on Thursday. The students will visit the Philippines from Jan. 11 to 17.
China enjoys a traditional friendship with the Philippines, and the bilateral relations have witnessed stable development since the two sides forged diplomatic ties in 1975, said Qin.
He said the invitation fully demonstrated the friendliness extended by the government and people of the Philippines, to which China expressed appreciation and gratitude. China believed the visit will reinforce the exchanges and friendship between people of the two countries, especially between the youth, enrich the China-Philippines friendship of cooperation, and promote the bilateral relationship, said Qin.
The 8.0-magnitude quake, occurring in China on May 12 last year, left more than 69,000 people dead, 374,000 injured, 18,000 missing and millions homeless.
新华网1月12日电，中国外交部发言人秦刚宣布，应菲律宾政府邀请，四川地震灾区的100个初中学生将赴菲律宾度过一个有意义的春节。他们的旅行将从1月11日进行到17日。
中国和菲律宾长期以来维持着良好的互利合作关系，双边关系自1975年建交以来就一直经历平稳的发展和持续。
他说中国感激和感谢菲律宾向地震灾区孩子们提供的帮助和支持，这是两国人民和两国政府友谊的良好见证。我们相信这次访问会加强两国人民，尤其是两国亲少年的交流和友谊。
——————–
Hundred China quake zone kids to rehabilitate in Philippines
2009-01-07 18:43:25
MANILA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) — Invited by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a group of 100 children who survived a devastating earthquake in China last May will arrive in the Philippines this weekend for rehabilitation, with visits to the archipelagic state’s stunning beaches, museums, schools and the Presidential Palace, officials said Wednesday.
The one hundred middle school students were from Beichuan, Mianzhu, Shifang, the worst-hit towns in southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, with many losing close relatives in the 8.0-magnitude earthquake on May 12, 2008, according to officials with the Chinese Embassy to the Philippines.
More than 80,000 people, including at least 19,000 school children, were killed in the killer quake, the worst natural disaster China experienced in three decades, the government statistics show.
According to the schedule, the quake zone kids, most of whom have never traveled abroad, will arrive at Manila on board a Philippine Airline charter flight on Jan. 11 and fly to the crystal water and white-sand beach in Bohol island after touring around the national capital. They will also call on President Arroyo in the Presidential Palace Malacanang a day before they return to China on Jan. 17.
The rehabilitation plan was formalized in August during Arroyo’s visit to Sichuan quake zone and meeting with her Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao. Two groups of school children from the Sichuan quake zone took similar rehabilitation trips to Russia and Hungary last year.
In a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Brady said the visit is designed for the Sichuan students to have a meaningful time and interaction with the Filipino people to help them recover from the effects of the earthquake.
Brady said the visit is a “very significant milestone” in promoting people-to-people exchanges between the Philippines and China.
Yuan Zhiju, a teacher with the Leigu middle school in Beichuan, told Xinhua reporters in Sichuan that kids were very excited about going abroad and had hand-knitted with needles and threads three ethnic hand-bags that traditions say would bring good fortune to President Arroyo.
“It is a gift from us to represent our gratitude to President Arroyo and the Filipino people,” Yuan said.
20090115: Pharmanet.com.cn: Medical equipment and infrastructure
Thursday, February 19th, 2009卫生系统投资18.7亿元装备汶川地震灾区医疗设备
http://news.pharmnet.com.cn/news/2009/01/15/246580.html
2009-01-15 《中国医药报》
According to the 2008 annual meeting of China Medical Apparatus Industry Association, the investment in reconstruction of medical infrastructure in quake-hit regions has reached 11.7 billion, which includes 1.87 billion that were used for purchase and maintenance of medical facilities.
According to some statistics, 26,672 medical institutions were impaired in the 5.12 quake in Sichuan, Gansu and Shanxi. 63,925 equipments and facilities plus 8.71 million square metres housing were damaged. Total economic losses reached 11.6 billion.
The 11.7 billion investments from state medical system were directly allocated to hospitals in quake-hit townships. Specifically, 2 million to every town level polyclinic (758 million in total), 285 million for county hospitals of Chinese medicine, 106 million for maternal and child healthcare hospitals, 363 million for township hospitals and 56 million for village clinics. In addition to this, disease prevention institution and health inspection agencies received 106 and 33 million respectively. The basic deployed items include ECG and EEG machines, heart defibrillators, bedside monitors, central monitoring systems, ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, colour ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, and endoscopy equipment.
记者从日前召开的“中国医疗器械行业协会2008年年会”上获悉，在近期卫生系统医疗器械装备有关项目中，对5•12汶川地震灾区医疗卫生机构基础设施恢复重建的投资达到117亿元，其中，用于医疗设备维修、购置的资金为18.7亿元。
据统计，5•12汶川地震中，四川、甘肃和陕西三省灾区受损卫生机构26,672个，房屋损毁871万平方米，设施设备损毁63,925台（套），累计经济损失116亿元。为恢复灾区医疗卫生机构基础设施条件，满足灾区群众的公共卫生、基本医疗和食品药品安全需求，卫生系统将投资117亿元用于灾区医疗卫生机构恢复重建，
其中，用于医疗设备维修、购置18.7亿元。具体资金分配为县级综合医院院均2000万元，共7.58亿元；县中医院院均1200万元，共2.85亿元；县妇幼保健机构院均370万元，共1.06亿元；乡镇卫生院院均30万～50万元，共3.63亿元；村卫生室个均1万元，共0.56亿元；疾病预防控制机构均400万元，共1.06亿元；卫生监督机构均150万元，共0.33亿元；其他医疗卫生机构1.64亿元。基本配置品目包括心电图机、脑电图机、心脏除颤器、床边监护仪、中心监护系统、超声诊断仪、彩色超声诊断仪、内窥镜系等近百个品种。
据介绍，汶川地震灾后医疗机构恢复重建的目标是到2010年，通过全面恢复重建规范范围内灾区医疗卫生机构基础设施，恢复灾区正常医疗卫生服务秩序，实现灾区医疗卫生服务条件和能力达到或超过灾前水平的目标。
20090210: Agreement signed to help those injured in the earthquake
Thursday, February 19th, 2009港四川签合作协议 助万名地震伤员重新站起来
2009年02月10日 来源：中国新闻网
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/ga/gaynd/news/2009/02-10/1555952.shtml
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) signed a cooperation and exchange agreement with Sichuan Provincial Academy of Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People Hospital, in order to enlarge the medical expertise group and help 10 thousand people injured in the quake to recover.
This agreement is expected to promote the Stand-up Project that was set early in Jan by the International Ethnic-Chinese Orthopedics Association. Meanwhile, science research and academic cooperation/ exchange project was also established, including a training program that will provide 1000 certificated medical personnel after 3 years of training.
Cheng Qiming, a lecturer at the Medical College in Chinese University of Hong Kong, stated that there were more than 7000 people injured in the quake that need artificial limbs, and that the Stand-up Project had already provided artificial limbs and physiotherapy to more than 300 of them. He also asserted that fitting artificial limbs is relatively expensive, averaging around 150 thousand RMB per limb. An electric hand costs about 200 thousand RMB. Furthermore, limbs and the required accessories will need constant adjustment and updating. “This is a long-term process; considerable amount of capital is needed.” said Cheng.
Now three rehabilitation doctors from Sichuan are taking training in Hong Kong.
香港中文大学医学院与四川省医学科学院、四川省人民医院今日签署合作交流协议，以扩大专业医疗人员队伍，帮助一万名地震伤员重新站起来。
今日签署的协议将促进川港方面共同为地震伤员展开周详康复治疗，并建立科研、教学的相关交流合作，包括三年内在四川培训一千名医护人员并颁发相应的认证文凭等。
陈启明说，目前需要装义肢的地震伤员超过七千名，自成立至今，“站起来”计划已为近百名病人配上义肢和物理治疗，为超过三百名伤员提供治疗。
陈启明亦指出，安装义肢费用十分昂贵，下肢平均要人民币十五万左右，电子手则需要人民币二十多万。且随着少年儿童不断成长，义肢和配件也需不断调整和更新，“最大的难度在于持续地跟进和调整，这是一个漫长的过程，需要大量资金。”
陈启明认为，目前最重要的是积极落实这三年的培训及发展计划。他透露，目前有三位四川的康复治疗主任正在香港接受培训。
Red Cross updated appeal: Sichuan Earthquake Revised Emergency and Recovery Appeal No. MDRCN003
Saturday, January 3rd, 2009Red Cross updated appeal (re-post from original at ReliefWeb)
China: Sichuan Earthquake Revised Emergency and Recovery Appeal No. MDRCN003
This Revised Emergency and Recovery Appeal seeks CHF 167,102,368 (USD 137.7 million or EUR 110 million) in cash, kind, or services to support the Red Cross Society of China to assist an estimated 200,000 families (up to 1,000,000 people) affected by the earthquake for 31 months.
This revised appeal will address the specific recovery needs based on technical assessments that have been conducted by the Red Cross Society of China with support from the International Federation in the earthquake affected areas. The appeal covers the provision of life-saving relief and substantial recovery and reconstruction programmes to address widespread humanitarian needs in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces.
This operation is expected to be implemented over 31 months, and will therefore be completed in December 2010; a final report will be made available by March 2011, three months following the end of the operation.
Appeal history:
- An emergency appeal was launched on 30 May 2008 for CHF 96.7 million (USD 92.7 million or EUR 59.5 million) in response to the huge humanitarian needs and in recognition of the unique position of the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) supported by Red Cross Red Crescent partners to deliver high quality disaster response and recovery programmes.
- A preliminary emergency appeal of CHF 20.1 million (USD 19.3 million and EUR 12.4 million) was issued on 15 May 2008 to support the RCSC to assist around 100,000 people affected by the earthquake for 12 months.
- CHF 250,000 (USD 240,223 or EUR 155,160) was allocated from the International Federation’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 12 May 2008, to support the RCSC to immediately start assessments of the affected areas and distribute relief items.
This Revised Emergency and Recovery Appeal reflects the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ continued commitment towards assisting the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) in meeting the huge needs of communities affected by the 12 May Sichuan earthquake. It is being revised to enable the RCSC and its partners to focus efforts where needs have been identified based on technical assessments in relief, shelter, water and sanitation, psychosocial support and health services, and livelihoods. It will also enable the RCSC to strengthen its organizational capacity for relief, recovery/reconstruction and disaster risk reduction in the disaster-affected areas.
The plans of action were developed after technical assessments were conducted and are based on realistic expectations of the ability of the RCSC to scale-up the size and complexity of its programming. The processes and activities implemented under this appeal will include the provision of technical assistance to the RCSC and the joint implementation of pilot programmes that RCSC may then consider scaling up with the substantial resources raised in response to their national fundraising campaign. It is clear that the needs in the region are enormous. The only limit of the International Federation’s support will be the funding received and the joint capacity of the RCSC and International Federation to implement the planned activities. There are still limitations on the number of international delegates based in Sichuan, although it has loosened recently.
At the request of the RCSC leadership, the International Federation will continue to play a key role in the coordination of Red Cross Red Crescent Movement-supported activities. An office has been established in Chengdu with technical delegates to cover the major sectors. The recruitment of construction delegates are being planned and they will be in place shortly. The East Asia regional office in Beijing supports the Chengdu office and the RCSC headquarters with mainly strategic planning and communications with partners, and is further supported by the Asia Pacific zone office in Kuala Lumpur.
Many partner national societies have already made contributions to the appeal: American Red Cross, Australian Red Cross/Australian government, Belgian Red Cross/ Belgian government, British Red Cross, Bulgarian Red Cross, Canadian Red Cross/Canadian government, Cook Islands Red Cross, Croatian Red Cross, Czech Red Cross, Danish Red Cross/Danish government, Estonian Red Cross, Finnish Red Cross/Finnish government, German Red Cross, Icelandic Red Cross, Irish Red Cross/ Irish government, Japanese Red Cross/Japanese government, Lithuanian Red Cross, Malaysian Red Crescent, Mauritius Red Crescent, Monaco Red Cross, Netherlands Red Cross/Netherlands government, New Zealand Red Cross/New Zealand government, Norwegian Red Cross, Qatar Red Crescent, Singapore Red Cross, Spanish Red Cross, Swedish Red Cross, Sri Lanka Red Cross, and United Arab Emirates Red Crescent Society, as well as contributions from American, Greek, Italian, Luxembourg, Slovenian and South Africa governments, OPEC Fund for International Development, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and many corporate partners.
The Red Cross Society of China has also received many bi-lateral contributions of funding, including the following: Cambodian Red Cross, French Red Cross, German Red Cross, Republic of Korea Red Cross, Norwegian Red Cross, Pakistan Red Crescent, Spanish Red Cross, Swiss Red Cross, Thai Red Cross, Turkish Red Crescent and Viet Nam Red Cross. These contributions have been added to the various substantial resources raised domestically by the Red Cross Society of China in its national fundraising appeal.
To date, the initial appeal for CHF 96.7 million is 87% covered, with cash and in-kind contributions totalling CHF 84.4 million received to date. Total expenditure from May until the end of October 2008 is CHF 46.5 million.
The International Federation, on behalf of the Red Cross Society of China, would like to thank all partners for their very quick and generous response to this appeal.
Downloadable files:
Major need for rehab clinics
Saturday, January 3rd, 2009Translated from Xinhua:
In Sichuan about 7,400 people injured in the quake still need physical therapy, officials said.
So far, 158 amputees received artificial limbs. 341 people are now equipped with assistive devices, officials said. The health department said they plan to set up rehabilitation centers for the injured, but full details have not been unveiled.
Three provincial centers with a total of 300 beds were founded in Chengdu to treat the most seriously injured. Six quake-hit cities have sub-centres and 44 counties have therapy branches for patients. In addition, about 100 rehabilitation experts from all over China are now working in Sichuan. Money has also been spent to help quake victims restart their lives in other ways. For example, in June, The Sichuan Disabled Persons’ Foundation pledged 2 million yuan (293,000 U.S. dollars) annually for three years to help the disabled start their own businesses. The government also announced, in May, that employers would get tax cuts or subsidies if they hired disabled quake victims.
Only 12 of Sichuan’s 623 quake orphans have so far been been legally adopted, state media reported.
According to the Sichuan Department of Civil Affairs, 90 percent of the 600 plus orphans were taken into care by their relatives while the other 60 remain in welfare homes, Xinhua said.
Officials said 623 children became orphans in the quake, but only 12 of them have since been adopted. Other orphans are being fostered by relatives or welfare houses. About 98% of them have been fostered by relatives and 2% of them are living in welfare house.
Relatives have priority in adopting quake orphans according to government regulations, said Zhang Li, deputy director of the department. The adoption process began in late August. In May, it was reported there were about 4,000 orphans, but most were identified by their parents or relatives and taken home, officials said.
“The number is changing all the time as some are taken away and some return from other provinces after free medical care,” Zhang said. “Very few are adopted by strangers.”
Ecological toilets – project meeting
Friday, December 19th, 2008SQR recently attended a meeting to launch a project to encourage the installation and use of ecological toilets.
The meeting was quite a grand one. It was reported to the UN, and featured on local and national media, including CCTV.
The meeting consisted of four parts: opening ceremony, expert lectures, organisation experience-sharing and action-starting ceremony.
Opening ceremony:
The host welcomed everyone, and the sponsor gave a short speech.
Expert lecture:
Some doctors and scholars majoring in related fields spoke about the importance of the ecological toilet and the necessity of building ecological toilets for people in disaster area.
Organization experience sharing:
Several leaders of some NGOs and volunteers shared their experience of ecological toilet building. A village head talked about when he used the toilet built by an NGO.
Du Yan, the Chinese project manager in Ecologia shared experience that they cooperated with Rabbit King, another NGO, to do such a project.
They have presented information about the ecological toilet to local people, and they have built some public toilets for several villages. They encouraged villagers to build ecological toilets for family use by offering microfinance loan and some favourable conditions. She emphasized that when you begin to implement a project, you must make a demonstration as an example for villagers at first. Because it can be hard to persuade people to change their behaviour and use this new technology, you have to demonstrate tangible and real advantages to attract them. They once chose one family to help build ecological toilet. The child of this family was so excited that she told all her classmates and friends. All the children poured into her house to have a look at the new-style toilet and asked their parents also to build such a toilet when they went back home.
“This at last proved to be a successful propaganda tool,” she concluded.
Action starting ceremony:
Host read the proposal. Representatives from all the organizations and government went to fill the organisation name and project site in a huge map.
