Xinhua News, Lanzhou, March 26 (Reporters: Wenjing Zhang, Gang Guo) In a ward in Lanzhou University First Hospital Cardiac Surgery Department, 8-year-old girl He Hongyan sits on her hospital bed, with a ruddy complexion, admiring the photo taken of her by America’s Little Red Scarf employees. Only a few days ago, her face tinted purple and she could barely move. He Hongyan is from a rural area near Weiyuan County, Dingxi City in Gansu Province. The day after she was born, she was diagnosed with the worst type of congenital heart disease. He Hongyan’s mother tells us, “Ever since she was little, she severely lacked oxygen, her whole body tinted purple, her fingers were bent, and she could not walk; she could only squat or curl into a ball.” He Hongyan’s cousin Ma Yanxia says, “The family does not have any money to pay for the surgery, so we could only keep her alive with medication. Her condition worsened during the past few years.” Hongyan’s father died of an illness last year and her 80-year-old grandmother lies in bed, paralyzed, taken care of by Hongyan’s mother, who relies on her 25 Yuan salary from working in the vegetable sheds to keep the entire family afloat. Over the past few years, the Chinese government has introduced many support policies aimed to help the Chinese people get better medical care. One example is the policy to develop coordinated health care in the countryside. In 2012, Gansu Province Civil Affairs Office also put into effect a severe illness succor project, with congenital heart disease being one of the targeted illnesses. The support patients receive average around 20 thousand Yuan. Little Red Scarf’s Lanzhou office leader Yuan Yujie says, “The policies are great. We can reimburse some medical costs, although we must first pay 10 thousand Yuan when patients first move in to the hospital. Surgery for congenital heart disease costs around 30 thousand Yuan, with more complicated surgeries costing around 60 to 80 thousand Yuan.” Yuan Yujie explains that to pay 10 to 20 thousand Yuan right off for surgery costs is near impossible for poor families like He Hongyan’s. Little Red Scarf attempts to help the hearts of these children on top of what the government has done.
In 2008, Mr. and Mrs. Ping Chao collaborated with CCHC Loving Point (I’m not sure the correct name) and Angel Heart Foundation (not sure either) to set up Little Red Scarf, with a goal of helping to support surgeries for children with congenital heart disease living in rural Gansu and to find the best doctors and medical care for these children. Up to this point, LRS has helped 1,000 children undergo surgery. Yuan Yujie adds, “After hearing of Hongyan’s condition, Little Red Scarf decided to pay the full cost of her surgery.” Late March this year, with the help of Little Red Scarf and their partner Lanzhou University First Hospital, Hongyan underwent a successful surgery. Lanzhou University First Hospital’s Cardiac Surgery Department Director Song Bing tells us, “The surgery was very successful and post-surgery recovery also went very well. The child can now walk on her own.” According to statistics, 3% of infants in Gansu Province are born with congenital heart disease. Currently, there are still thousands of children living with the disease who are also in poverty, waiting for help. Song Bing explains that 90% of the diseased children they take in are from impoverished families, especially from rural families who have no reliable source of income. Song Bing continues to say that in recent years, other charities such as the Ai You Foundation joined in to help children with congenital heart disease. The scope of their support is also widening to include children with cleft lips or leukemia. Yuan Yujie says, “We will also monitor these family over the long-run. The Foundation will set up a specific fund to help them develop fish and livestock breeding, farming, and other projects that will relieve them of poverty and help them start new lives.” 中国政府和慈善机构联手呵护幼儿“受伤的心” 新华网兰州3月26日电(记者张文静、郭刚)在兰州大学第一医院心外科的病房里,8岁女孩何红艳坐在病床上,面色红润,欣赏着美国小红巾联盟工作人员给自己拍的照片。而几天前,她还脸色发紫,难以动弹。 何红艳来自甘肃省定西市渭源县农村,出生后的第二天,她便被查出患有先天性心脏病,而且是先心病中最严重的一种。“从小到大,她就严重缺氧,全身发紫,手指扭曲,不能走路,只能蹲着或蜷缩成一团。”何红艳的妈妈告诉记者。 “家里没钱,拖了八年也没法手术,只能靠药物维持,这几年越来越严重。”何红艳的表姐马燕霞说,红艳父亲去年因病去世,奶奶80岁高龄瘫痪在床,全靠她母亲一人照顾,平常靠在菜棚打工一天挣25元钱维生。 近几年,中国政府针对群众看病先后出台了很多优惠救助政策,比如普及新型农村合作医疗;2012年,甘肃省民政厅还实施了大病救助项目,先心病就是其中一项,救助标准大约2万元。 小红巾联盟兰州办公室代表处负责人贠于捷说:“政策很好,看病能报销,但入院首先要垫付约1万元费用。先心病的手术治疗费用约3万元,但情况复杂的手术需6至8万元。” 贠于捷介绍,垫付一两万元的手术费对于何红艳这样的贫困家庭来说,就是天文数字。在政府给予的救助外,如何让这些幼小的心脏得到呵护,成为小红巾联盟思考的问题。 2008年,美国赵修平夫妇联合角声爱心汇点、天使心基金会发起并成立了小红巾联盟慈善机构,旨在为甘肃农村孤贫先心病儿童家庭支援手术费用,并寻求最好的专业医生和医疗服务。截至目前,小红巾已资助1000名先心病患儿手术。 “在得知红艳情况后,小红巾愿意全额资助红艳手术费用。”贠于捷说。 今年3月下旬,在小红巾联盟和其合作单位兰大一院的资助下,红艳顺利接受了手术。“手术很成功,术后恢复情况很好,孩子能下地走路了。”兰大一院心外科主任宋兵介绍。 据统计,甘肃儿童先心病发病率为活婴的3‰左右,目前仍有数千名孤贫先天性心脏病患儿等待救助。 据宋兵介绍,其收治的先心病患儿90%都来自于贫困家庭,尤其是无固定收入来源的农村家庭。 宋兵说,近年来,爱佑慈善基金会等越来越多慈善机构加入到救治先心病患儿的队伍中来,救助对象和范围还在不断扩大,包括唇腭裂儿童、白血病患儿。 “我们还会长期关注这些贫困家庭,基金会将设立专项资金,帮助他们发展养殖业、种植业等项目,让他们真正过上新的生活。”贠于捷说。 Xinhua News, Reporters: Wenjing Zhang, Gang Guo, Translated by EV Intern, Allison Zhang Comments are closed.
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