On March 28, 2022, PUMCH received notification from the superior to, together with China-Japan Friendship Hospital and Peking University Third Hospital, form a national nucleic acid testing team to assist Changchun, Jilin Province. With the leadership of President Zhang Shuyang and Vice President Wu Peixin and active coordination of multiple departments, a 20-person nucleic acid testing team mainly composed of personnel from the Department of Clinical Laboratory and the Medical Research Center was established. With the proportion of party members reaching 60%, the team is a competent team with firm conviction and a strong sense of responsibility.

At 12:00 on March 30 when the PUMCH Nucleic Acid Testing Team was about to set off, President Zhang Shuyang expressed kind instructions to the team members and, on behalf of the hospital leadership, sincere thanks to the team members and their families, “When the country needs our services the most, we answer the call most actively, motivated by the sense of mission and responsibility of PUMCHers. Each of us is a soldier in white and we do our best on the medical ‘battlefield’. I look forward to your early victory in the battle against the epidemic in Changchun and coming back safely and triumphantly.”

Vice President Wu Peixin awarded the PUMCH medical team flag to the medical team and put forward the goal of “achieve zero infection and win the battle to come back in triumph”. Chang Qing, the team leader and Deputy Director of the Department Medical Affairs, and Xiao Meng, the team member representative and Assistant Director of the Department of Clinical Laboratory, both delivered their remarks, expressing their aspiration to live up to the expectations and fulfill the tasks successfully.

On the afternoon of March 30, after the medical team arrived at the hotel and took a short rest, they rushed to the lab of the makeshift hospital to conduct an on-site survey. At 8:00 on March 31, the team members arrived at the lab with “heavy equipment”, where they soon started working after specifying their respective tasks. On the afternoon of the same day, Xing Ruoqi, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Medical Administration, the National Health Commission (NHC), visited the medical team in the laboratory of the makeshift hospital to learn more about the preparation of personnel, equipment and supplies and expressed the hope that the national medical team would start nucleic acid testing as soon as possible and play a role for achieving “dynamic zero” in Changchun. On the same day, Zhao Jing, Director of the Medical Administration Service Guidance Center of the NHC, and his entourage, also visited the laboratory and greeted the medical team members.

In less than 4 hours, the equipment of the National Public Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Testing under PUMCH was installed and commissioned, ahead of others. The medical team further specified various management regulations on steps from sample reception to sample testing, and conducted drills on details and emergencies.

On April 1, the PUMCH lab of the makeshift hospital was officially opened. From 18:00 when the first batch of samples was received until 3:00 the next day, the first batch of team members on duty worked without a break and completed 60% of the workload of the entire makeshift hospital.

The PUMCH team members did not take a moment’s rest after finishing the tests and leaving the makeshift hospital. Instead, they immediately started the review process to spot flaws and sum up their experience, an application of the PUMCH “daily review” in the makeshift hospital.

On April 4, the second day of the Tomb Sweeping Day public holiday, the PUMCH medical team was still working around the clock, about to take on the largest number of samples since its opening. On April 7, the number of samples tested at the makeshift hospital exceeded 10,000 for the first time, and the PUMCH medical team independently tested over 4,000 samples. Since the lab of the makeshift hospital was opened, the PUMCH medical team has tested the most samples. Xiao Meng, Assistant Director of the Department of Clinical Laboratory, jokingly said that: “You have to vie for the tasks.” The way they faced the difficulties squarely and resiliently is a case in point of the great anti-epidemic spirit on the front line of fighting against the epidemic.

As the home front, PUMCH provided sufficient medical protection and daily necessities supplies for the team members, including N95 masks, goggles, latex surgical gloves, down jackets and a variety of medicines. The hospital is still collecting the needs of the team members for timely supplies replenishment. At their place of residence in Changchun, the medical team has two “caretakers”, Chang Qing, Deputy Director of the Department Medical Affairs, and Zhao Yanwei, the Supervisor Nurse of the Department of Nursing, who attend to everything meticulously, be it the testing process and safety training, or details like wearing and taking off protective clothing, and sterilizing clothes.

Guided by its original aspiration of “all for the people” and the spirit of helping those in need to tide over difficulties together, PUMCH is once again putting to use its superb technical techniques and cutting-edge professional expertise to safeguard people’s health with compassionate care.

On March 30, the hospital leaders were seeing off the medical team.

On March 31, Xing Ruoqi (fifth from the left), Deputy Director of the Bureau of Medical Administration, the NHC, was visiting the lab of the makeshift hospital.

The team members were busy with putting together the lab of the makeshift hospital.

Female team members were equally helpful in handling supplies.

The two “caretakers” were giving instructions to team members.

Team members were taking a short break, looking visibly fatigued.

Making a heart-shaped gesture was the most common “baton exchange” for team members.

Correspondents: Tang Yueming, Jiang Xu, Luo Guoju, Zhang Miao, Zhang Ge, Li Xiaogang, Hui Xiangyi, Ding Rui, Jiang Xiaofeng, Yu Qi and Yin Yicong

Reporters: Wang Jingxia and Chen Mingyan

Picture: Sun Liang and the medical team

Translator: Liu Haiyan

Editor: Wang Yao