Protect the students from Flu

So hot! And so tired!

I almost fell in sleep while sitting on the concrete stair way in front of Dr. Zhu's door in spring 1996 in the hospital of agricultural reclamation in Haikou. I was there for almost 4 hours waiting for Dr. Zhou to come home so I could ask her to write a prescription for the students to protect them to get flu.

The flu that year was pretty bad and majority the schools in Haikou were affected and lots of students had to stay home. As a new boarding school, we could not offer to do the same. As a school doctor, I have to figure out the way to make our students stay in school for their normal school days.

I am not a traditional medicine doctor and do not know much about herb medicine. So I went to the nearest hospital from school and asked the health department how to protect my students. The head of the health department of the hospital gave me a prescription of herb medicine and I made the kitchen boiled them and sent to every class to drink. It worked well at the first week and the following week, when I went to there again and ask for the same prescription, the head of the health department gave me a different one which tastes really bad and the students refuse to take it.

I understood that as the medication was for protection and for everyone, the taste should not be too unpleasant and it also needs to be effected. So I decided to go to the traditional medicine department and get a real herb medicine doctor to write the prescription. But that day, the doctor I was looking for went out for a meeting and would not be back till noon.

The transportation in the school at that time was not that convenience so I decided to wait in the hospital. Even it was spring, the temperature of Hainan was high, and the sun was hot directly shining on my face. With asking few people of directions, I found Dr. Zhou's apartment and sitting down on the stair way and wait.

At noon, she was finally back. Looking on the sweating faced me and confused: "You are here waiting for me all morning at this temperature? Do I know you?" "No, but you will. My name is X.W. and I am a doctor in Jingshan School. I need your help to give me a prescription for the whole school children to drink to prevent flu. The ages of the students are from 3 to 18 years old. They are the students from kindergarten to high school. I have about 200 students and 40 staff members."

After I finished what I wanted with one breath, she looked on me and touched by my responsible work ethic and caring heart. "I normally do not give prescription at home but you are here for all the students, I admire you spirit of treating your job so seriously. Give me few minutes and I will get it ready for you."

That year, many schools in Haikou had about 30-60% students were sick with flu. but mine. The school administration was so proud and that we earned a good name as taking good care of the students. That was the good year the school started.