[Commentary] On the afternoon of September 3, at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Cheng Shouzhen, who walked out of the crowd with flowers in hand, was refreshed. Her colleagues were waiting at the airport early to greet him at the Beijing People’s Congress just the day before. The angel in white who was awarded the Nightingale Medal.
[Concurrent] Cheng Shouzhen, Director of Nursing Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University
First of all, I am very honored and very excited, because this is the highest honor award in the international nursing community.
[Explanation] The Nightingale Medal is the highest international nursing award established by the ICRC to commemorate Florence Nightingale's outstanding contribution to improving the care of the wounded and sick in the field.
On May 12, the winners of the 48th Nightingale Medal in 2021 were announced. China has 3 winners, which is the country with the largest number of winners this year.
[Explanation] Cheng Shouzhen has been practicing Nightingale's oath during her 42 years of nursing care, from the fight against SARS to the Wenchuan earthquake rescue.
In early February 2020, she led a team of 131 people to Wuhan to fight the epidemic for 61 days.
I went to Union Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, took over two wards, treated 246 severe patients, brought the experience of joint medical and nurse rounds to Wuhan, and personally intubated severe patients.
After returning from Wuhan, everyone found that Cheng Shouzhen, who was a green silk, had returned with gray hair.
But then, she went to Serbia as a member of the expert team to support the fight against the epidemic for 40 days and was awarded the Serbia's highest medal of honor.
[Concurrent] Cheng Shouzhen, Director of Nursing Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University
This is my professional mission.
As a citizen, national crisis should be a must.
So I feel that I am responsible for being a citizen, for my professional career, and for my mission as a party member.
[Commentary] Talking about going to Serbia to support the fight against the epidemic, Cheng Shouzhen said that everyone wrote "China" instead of their own names on their protective clothing.
[Concurrent] Cheng Shouzhen, Director of Nursing Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University
Because you are fighting the epidemic abroad, we are also representing the country. As China's anti-epidemic medical expert group, we are actually reflecting our China in terms of a community with a shared future for mankind, and demonstrating our role as a major country in China.
Every day they travel long distances to help them fight the epidemic locally, so they also gain the trust of their (Serbian) people, so their compliance is very good, and our evaluation is very high.
So (Serbia) the overall result of the epidemic is also the country with the lowest rate of severe illness and mortality in Europe.
[Explanation] Back to the hospital, the sisters from the unit also rushed to greet their star. Everyone competed for a group photo. The Nightingale Medal became the focus. Cheng Shouzhen said that the medal belongs to everyone, let the sisters come. Feel it.
[Concurrent] Cheng Shouzhen, Director of Nursing Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University
Because this honor belongs to them, not only to me, but also to them, to all the nurses, but also to our country.
Reporter Wang Qingran, Yuan Yue reports from Guangzhou
Editor in charge: [Zhang Aolin]