HPB Voices Reloaded

Mission of Love

For the past three years, come August and Ms Chor Swee Suet, DD, CSQ would disappear from HPB’s radar for a few weeks. You can’t find her in Singapore, as she would be in China busy with her mission of love. Despite her usual hectic schedule, she shares her experience with us through this interview…

Editor: Ms Chor, every year for three years you have participated in the medical mission to China. What is this mission and who are the people you help?

Ms Chor: The Medical Services International (MSI) Professional Services is an international non-profit organisation of Christian professionals. The main objective is to impart Christ's love to the people of inland China by witnessing through our lives and sharing our professional skills. The medical program focuses on delivering modern medicine and preventive healthcare to the people in provinces.

MSI Professional Services provide medical professionals to work in the community / hospitals for one to four years. These are the “long-termers”. MSI also recruits the specialist medical team on a short term program lasting between one to three weeks and the aim is to help support the work of the long-term programs.

The medical team

The Medical team hard at work, giving their best at the operating table

The 14-member specialist medical team comprises volunteers who are paediatric, orthopaedic, obstetric & gynaecology and general surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses. The team provides academic exchange such as teaching and imparting skills to the local doctors, the anaesthetists and the nurses on packing and sterilisation procedures, infection control practices and wound care management. Lectures (as requested by our Chinese counterparts) are also delivered to doctors who came from the rural areas and nurses in the hospitals. The team also sourced for funds from well wishers and the money is used to help the people to pay for their operations and hospital bills.

Two of the volunteers are from Philippines and the rest are from Singapore. Most of the team members are private practitioners. The specialist medical team which started in 2002 because of the need to deal with medical conditions such as eye diseases, ENT ailments, paediatric, gynaecology, surgical and dental problems which were identified by the Health Fair Team which was in place since 1996.

The people

A bevy of young ladies dressed in their best in Zhaojue County

This recent trip was to Zhaojue County (2500 m above sea level) which is about one and a half hours bus ride along the mountainous road from Xichang in southern Sichuan, China. Zhaojue has a population of about 200,000 and 90% are the Yi minority tribe. Most are farmers who live in villages.

Mother and child of the Yi tribe

Editor: Can you tell us any interesting incident that happened during your trip?

Ms Chor: On the first day, 7 Aug 06 the obstetrician and two anaesthetists were called  to  perform two emergency caesarean sections. They worked from 8.30 pm till 1.30 am the next morning. One of the patients who had a previous caesarean section was in labour for about 9 hours before agreeing to the operation, as her family wanted her to have a normal delivery. Later on we found out from the local health professionals that the family needed every pair of hands available to help in harvesting and with her recuperating from the operation they would be short of one person.

On the third day, there was a mass casualty situation and the hospital had to recall all the doctors and nurses to attend to about 30 road accident victims. Apparently two vans had collided along the road to Meigu county. One passenger was covered with diesel and one of our nurses was busy cleaning him up with kerosene before the doctor could attend to his dislocated shoulder. Another passenger was rushed into the Operating Theatre for his right arm was severed. Fortunately the team had an orthopaediac surgeon who assisted in managing the patient.

Ms Chor and her group of angels.

Besides working hard, we had the unique opportunity to interact with the hospital staff, enjoy the scenic environment and taste their numbing hot and spicy hotpot. A few of the team members even went mountain climbing.

Editor: Thank you Ms Chor for sharing with us. Any other thoughts before we conclude the interview?

Ms Chor: I discovered that I am learning many new things, not just about the hygiene state of the country but also about the pains and struggles of the Yi people in meeting their daily needs. They have taught and reminded me about being joyful and having a sense of peace in enjoying the simple things in life.

How about taking a slow boat to China?

Joining the mission trip is also a time for me to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and refresh myself physically and spiritually.

'Ka Sha Sha" (means "Thank you" in the Yi language)