A Chinese volunteer (left) at the China-Guinea Friendship Hospital in Conakry, capital of Guinea, discusses a patient's condition with local medical professionals. Provided to China Daily A growing number of medical professionals are offering their services to aid those most in need. Wang Xiaodong reports. After working at a large, well-equipped hospital in Beijing, Chao Shuang could not have been more astonished by the conditions in Conakry, capital of Guinea, and the China-Guinea Friendship Hospital during her first visit to the West African country. I was prepared for the worst before I set out, but it turned out to be worse than I expected, she said. There are virtually no roads in the city. The hospitals, even major ones in the capital, are in dire need of basic equipment. Some of the testing equipment was made in the 1970s, so most of us had no idea how to use the machines. Chao, a pediatrician at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, was part of an eight-strong team organized by the Chinese Medical Doctor Association. The Chinese medics - neurosurgeons, gynecologists and pediatricians from three tertiary hospitals in Beijing - provided voluntary services at the hospital in Guinea for three weeks. They mainly treated children with hydrocephalus, a condition in which fluid accumulates in the brain. Though the illness is common in Guinea, the patients often had a serious form of the condition as a result of delayed diagnosis and treatment, according to Chao. Working there was completely different from working at my hospital in Beijing, she said. We were constantly under pressure due to a lack of equipment, despite the things we had brought from China. The power supply in the operating rooms often failed, and sometimes the backup generator was also out of operation so we had to use the flashlights on our mobile phones to conduct surgery. Moreover, none of the Chinese doctors could speak French, the official language of Guinea, so it was difficult to communicate with the patients. Luckily, they met an interpreter who was working for a medical assistance squad dispatched by the Chinese government. The two groups shared the interpreter's services whenever possible, which was a great help, Chao said. In addition to providing diagnoses and surgeries, her team also helped to train local medical professionals. I was pleased to see some of the children with serious conditions improved after we treated them, she said. The experience was a spiritual baptism for me because I was finally able to help others in need, and I was so proud of myself. rubber message braceletssilicone wristbandscheap custom silicone wristbands free shippingblue silicone braceletcustom mantra bracelets
Night view of Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan. [Photo/VCG] TAIPEI -- An increasing number of companies in Taiwan consider the Chinese mainland the most important market for their growth in 2019, according to the results of a survey released Wednesday by PwC Taiwan. Three-quarters of surveyed CEOs of Taiwan enterprises said the Chinese mainland remains the most important market in 2019, up from 72 percent last year, revealed PwC Taiwan. As part of PwC's annual global CEO survey of 1,378 CEOs, the PwC Taiwan conducted interviews with 245 CEOs from sectors of technology, telecom, consumption, manufacturing, industrial, health, energy and public resources, and finance services during October-December 2018. Among the interviewed chief executives of Taiwan enterprises, 52 percent viewed the United States as the most important market for growth this year, down from 59 percent in 2018, while 23 percent, 18 percent and 14 percent of Taiwan CEOs considered Japan, Vietnam and Germany, respectively, as their most important market. When asked about the global economic outlook this year, Taiwan CEOs were the most pessimistic among their peers from major economies, as 47 percent of respondents in Taiwan predicted a decline in global economic growth, compared with 8 percent last year. The proportion marked the highest level since 2013 in Taiwan, well above the 29 percent shared among global CEOs. Only 27 percent of Taiwan CEOs projected higher global economic growth in 2019, compared with 42 percent globally. In terms of revenue growth for their own companies this year, only 19 percent of Taiwan CEOs said they are very confident, compared with 35 percent of global CEOs. The proportion touched the lowest revenue confidence level since 2016, according to the PwC survey. This sends a very bad signal, said PwC Taiwan CEO Chou Chien-hung, who led the survey. For Taiwan CEOs, 2019 will be the most stressful year with the fiercest competition. According to the survey results, Taiwan CEOs viewed trade conflicts, geopolitical uncertainty and policy uncertainty as the potential threats they are most worried about, while other CEOs considered unstable exchange rates, protectionism and uncertainty in economic growth to be the most prominent threats. About 40 percent of the surveyed CEOs were from companies with an annual business turnover between 100 million U.S. dollars to 999 million U.S. dollars, while 39 percent represented those with annual revenues below 100 million U.S. dollars.
