The Two Memorable Precious Years -- Dr. Zhang Jianhai's Reflections on Aiding Morocco

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ZmashC7TVPnWa7rZyX6koQ

Recently, the 60th anniversary commemoration and commendation conference of the dispatch of Chinese medical aid teams to Morocco was held. Dr. Zhang Jianhai from Shanghai General hospital and the194th batch of medical aid teams were officially awarded.

The Two Precious MomerableYears-- Zhang Jianhai's Reflections on Aiding Morocco

Published by Zhang Jian on October 31, 2023 at 22:29 in France

As the medical aiding mission is coming to an end, I receive care and greetings from my family and friends from our motherland almost everyday, which makes me feel even more that it is time to say goodbye to everything here. Two years may not be  long, but it is enough to give birth to many memorable stories. In the past two years, 24 months, 100 weeks, and over 700 days, in Morocco, a foreign land thousands of miles away, every person I encountered, every event that happened here, and even every plant and tree may have special significance.

The memory of the moment arriving at Morocco is believed to be unforgettable for every medical team member. It was very touching to see the old team members welcoming our arrival at the hospital gate. Leader Xu drove the car skillfully in the midnight of Sedat and introducdimportant facilities and institutions in Morocco, providing a lot of help for our subsequent life and work; After a brief handover, we realized that we are now the core member to continue the aiding work. That night, a bowl of instant noodles and a cup of hot water became particularly delicious after a 30-hour long journey. When I finally fell asleep, it was already 2am.

The next day, the enthusiastic local Chinese businessman, Old Kong, came to our team and greeted us warmly, thus establishing a friendly relationship between us and the local Chinese merchants. Over the past two years, we have helped each other, joined the group for warmth, and many interesting things have happened, greatly enriching our lives over the past two years.

After a brief rest, the entire team began to engage in clinical work. Taking care of every patient effortlessly has also changed my colleagues’ attitude from questioning to complete trust. I vividly remember the surprise during the first anesthesia case, surprised that the anesthesia could still be operated in this way. Rusted instruments, long-term shortage of local anesthetics, cats in operating rooms, malfunctioning air conditioning, and occasional power outages are all unbelievable in China, but in Morocco, we can only slowly accept the reality, adapt to local conditions, and even change our mindset to implement anesthesia management effectively. Over the past two years, a total of 1500 anesthesia cases have been completed, but the amount of work required behind each case is much higher than in China. Effectively ensure the operation of high-risk and severe patients such as thoracic surgery, neurosurgery, elderly hip fracture surgery, septic shock, and hemorrhagic shock, and carry out and teach ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve block, double lumen tracheal intubation, deep vein puncture, and other operations.

During work breaks, my favorite thing was to communicate with colleagues from the Moroccan side, chatting about daily life, professions, and interesting stories. I also found that there were many interesting souls among them. Some of them have ambitious plans to become medical device CEOs, some are enthusiastic about becoming online merchants, some enjoy cooking and cooking, but most of them still prefer down-to-earth work. I enjoyed sharing my domestic life and work with them. Of course, at the same time, it gave me an opportunity to practice my oral English, even though it is still on an average level.

Two years passed by in a blink of an eye, and the main work and life of the team in Morocco were made into a short five-minute video. Every time I watch this video, I feel a lot in my heart. Every health consultation, academic activity, science popularization class, donation or relocation ceremony... each activity contained the hard work of many people. Moroccans have different work and lifestyle styles and attitudes from those in China. There is an interesting comment on Moroccans-- Moroccans possess the shrewdness of Arabs, the arrogance of Europeans, and the laziness of Africans. Personally, I think this is the most insightful evaluation I have ever heard of.  I believe that the most important thing to achieve something here is to be able to follow the pace of  Morocco, while also having the determination and action to actively move forward.

But at the same time, the communication with the Moroccan side is still very smooth. As long as there are rules to follow and arguments to be made, we can negotiate and implement with them, and our relationships become closer naturally. The anesthesia nurses, anesthesiologists, and surgeons who come into contact with the most in their work often interact with the hospital's economic director, hospital director, and director of the health department on a daily basis. They also repeatedly communicate with the "contractor" for the construction of the new residence, and of course, there are many other common faces in daily life. Sincerity can be exchanged with hard work. Thank you for meeting every new friend here and providing me with a lot of help in both work and life.

There is an old saying of “Time defines coal as a diamond, while the sea sharpens seashells as pearls”, which means that all the brilliant radiance must have gone through the trials of time. In China, medical aid to foreign countries has gone through 60 years. Batches of foreign aid medical team members have gone one after another and generation after generation, accomplishing significant achievements. Chinese doctors have become a resounding business card; The Chinese medical team is also a highly combat capable team. "Success doesn’t have to totally depend on me, but when the success finally comes, my dedication will must be a part of it." I feel honored to be a part of it, and at the same time, I wish the foreign medical aid industry continued to succeed and shine.

Finally, on behalf of the entire team, I sincerely want to express my thankfulness to all the people who have been caring, supporting, understanding, and helping us to move forward smoothly for the past two years. Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to my family. Without your silent efforts in the rear, there would have been no smooth victory for us today. Secondly, I would like to express my gratitude to our team members. Over the past two years, we have supported each other and overcome various difficulties together. Although we have not achieved earth-shattering results, we have worked together to the best of our ability and effort; Moreover, I world like to thank to our Chinese friends in Morocco for their support and care, and for providing us with selfless help; I would like to thank the members of the previous team for their selfless dedication. Of course, the most powerful support for the work comes from our solid backup-- departments, units, and colleagues and leaders of the Health Commission dispatched\. No matter what difficulties our team members or family members encounter, they can solve it in a timely manner, allowing us to have no worries at all. Thousands of words are not enough to express my gratitude, and the victory of the medical aid did cannot be separated from you. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart.

Zhang Jianhai, Leader of the medical aid team, Chief Physician of Anesthesiology Department

 Doctor of Medicine, Chief Physician, Deputy Director of the Pain Department of Shanghai General Hospital. Currently serving as a member of the Pain Specialist Branch and Deputy Leader of the Cancer Pain Group of the Shanghai Medical Association, a member of the Anesthesiology Branch of the China Geriatrics Association, a member of the Perioperative Organ Protection Branch of the China Cardiothoracic Vascular Anesthesia Society, a young member of the Thoracic Anesthesia Branch of the China Cardiothoracic Vascular Anesthesia Society, a member of the Regional Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine Branch of the China Healthcare International Exchange Promotion Association, and a member of the Cancer Rehabilitation and Palliative Treatment Professional Committee of the Shanghai Anti Cancer Association. He has been engaged in anesthesia and chronic pain for over ten years with rich experience in perioperative anesthesia management and chronic pain treatment. He has participated in multiple research projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, led multiple municipal level projects, published more than 10 Chinese and English papers, edited 2 monographs as a subeditor, and translated 1 monograph as a sub-chief translator.