"What this world lacks are never perfect people, but sincerity, justice, fearlessness and sympathy from the bottom of one's heart."  ——Forever Young

Dr. Huang Xiaobo is the director of the Critical Care Medicine Center of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, a member of the Sichuan Provincial Large-scale Public Health Event Expert Group, and the deputy chairman of Severe Case Professional Committee of SCIMEA. He has participated in the prevention and control of infectious diseases in the province many times. On January 25th, Huang Xiaobo, under orders, led 30 doctors and nurses from Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital to go to the frontline in Wuhan to combat the epidemic. Based on relevant information from his team members on WeChat and the Provincial People's Hospital, SCIMEA organized information about Dr. Huang Xiaobo’s epidemic combat journey before and after the Spring Festival, in order to highlight the passion and responsibility a doctor has in face of a national crisis.

January 20th, the 26th day of the 12th month in the lunar calendar, the Great Cold Day! Huang Xiaobo, director of the Critical Care Medicine Center of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, finally caught the pace of Spring Festival and was able to take a break to treat his severe lumbar muscle strain. The busy work in the Critical Care Medicine Center had greatly harmed his health, and prevented him from receiving good treatment. Before the Spring Festival, there were fewer patients in the center. Huang Xiaobo decided to take a few days for rehabilitation. Before leaving, Huang Xiaobo explained to the office staff, and his colleagues kindly said to him: "Dr. Huang, please take a good rest, and don’t worry about anything in the ward."

January 23th was the 29th of the 12th month in the lunar calendar! Information about the outbreak of COVID-19 was overwhelming, and an unprecedented city closure order was issued in Wuhan. Huang Xiaobo had been undergoing rehabilitation for only three days, but upon learning that a medical aid team to Wuhan would be established by the hospital, he immediately checked with the leaders and registered in. Also, he immediately required all the doctors in the center cancel their vacation, and made this proposal: "The first echelon to assist Wuhan, we’re on standby in Chengdu and ready to start off anytime! "

January 24th, New Year's Eve! At 9:00 am, Ou Lisheng, the secretary of the Party Committee of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, and Deng Shaoping, the dean, presided over the mobilization meeting of the Medical Aid Team to Wuhan. 30 doctors and nurses specializing in critical care, respiration, infection, and nosocomial infection formed Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital’s Medica Aid Team to Wuhan, with Huang Xiaobo appointed as the team leader. At the mobilization meeting, Huang Xiaobo, on behalf of all the team members, stated that he would fulfill his mission to assist Wuhan in combating the epidemic, and that he would do his best to bring all the team members back. Subsequently, the medical team received trainings on diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19, and practiced putting on and taking off protective clothing, with all the members mastering the skills. The whole medical team was divided into four groups, including clinical care, nosocomial infection protection, medical supervision, and security news. Before their departure, the medical team established a temporary Party branch, with Huang Xiaobo serving as the secretary. 

January 25th, the first day of the Lunar New Year! At 11:40 am, under Huang Xiaobo’s leading, all the team members equipped with materials such as surgical gowns, protective masks, standing medicines, and so on, gathered in front of the first inpatient building. Then, with the original intention and mission, they went against the tide and headed to the frontline of the epidemic combat. Ou Lisheng, the party secretary, and Deng Shaoping, the president, praised the team members for their heroic act of going against the tide, hoping that they would follow the way of “strict discipline, and scientific prevention and control”, and that everyone would keep himself/herself well-protected and come back triumphantly. Many family members came to see off the team members. The seven-year-old son of Wu Yanyu, a nurse from the infection department, said to her with tears in his eyes, "Mom! You’re going to save patients in another place of our motherland. I am only 50% sad. Mom, please keep yourself well-protected, so not to get infected! I'll be waiting for you!"

It was already nighttime when they arrived in Wuhan. However, Huang Xiaobo kept busy until the early morning, instructing the team members to make the time for rest and adjust themselves to the conditions they were in, while communicating with the National Health Commission and relevant parties in Wuhan.

January 26th, the second day of the Lunar New Year! Huang Xiaobo immediately began to understand the whole situation of the hospital aided by them, make contacts, and take the initiative to undertake the work on the floor with the most beds and the most important tasks in the hospital. Huang Xiaobo also took the lead in conducting in-depth clinical research, and provided guidance on spatial layout and process improvement, including process improvement, scientific prevention, clean and polluted separation, severe illness rebuilding, and quality guarantee.

Every member of the medical team could always receive his announcements and greetings on WeChat early in the morning and late at night; he could also be seen in the frontline with the most challenging work; he was also seen busy with meetings, seminars and trainings; even when everyone was resting, he was still buying daily necessities for the team members, thinking about keeping everyone safe in better ways, and pondering over doing more useful work during the epidemic combat.

Huang Xiaobo said: "This combat of aiding Wuhan is bound to be a ’tough battle’. It is a severe test for every medical worker who goes for it. It’s understandable that our family members are worried, but at this critical moment, we, as medical workers, must rush forward. Our team is a very good one. In the past, we fought good fights during Wenchuan earthquake, during Lushan earthquake, against H7N9, and against Bird Flu. This time, it will be no exception. Therefore, we will overcome the challenges and return to Sichuan intact, as long as we are sincerely united."

Huang Xiaobo and his team members are still working on the frontline of the epidemic combat. As to what kind of hardships and horrors they have experienced during this time, we still don’t know. We can only pray and believe that they will return triumphantly and safely.

Attachment: List of Members of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital’s First Medical Aid Team to Hubei