Replacements

Statistics from the Chinese Medical Institution Association, an NGO, show that 70 private medical institutions across the country have provided assistance to Wuhan, and have dispatched more than 900 medical professionals to front-line hospitals.

Zhai said a further 100 doctors and nurses from Meinian One-Health were standing by to be sent to Hubei and replace local medical workers, who had been working for more than a month without a break.

Qiao said that rather than feeling scared, she was excited to join the battle.

"I've looked forward to helping patients in Wuhan since late January. Saving lives is an instinct among medical workers," said the nurse, who is working at a makeshift hospital, monitoring patients and dispensing medication.

On Feb 14, Tao Qin, a chief nurse from Meinian OneHealth's branch in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, was one of the first to apply to join the team when the chairman of the board published a notice saying the company intended to form a support force for Hubei.

Within 24 hours of the notice being posted, more than 2,600 doctors and nurses from the company had volunteered to work at front-line hospitals in Wuhan.

"I have experience of taking care of SARS patients in Xiamen, Fujian province, and I felt compelled to go to the front line to make a contribution as a nurse," said Tao, who worked in intensive care units at State hospitals before moving into the private sector three years ago.

"My family showed strong support and my father said my work on the front line would provide me with an opportunity to show my value to society and serve the motherland," said Tao, who is working at a medical quarantine site in Wuhan.

She said the workload undertaken by her and her colleagues during each shift－four hours in hospitals and eight hours at quarantine sites－would be much less stressful than that endured by local doctors and nurses and the first batch of medical workers from across the nation who joined Wuhan's battle in late January.

"I have several friends who were in the first batch of medical workers dispatched to Wuhan. They said the big challenge was that they had to refrain from drinking, eating or going to the restroom for at least 10 to 12 hours during a shift," she said.

Zhai, who helped treat SARS patients at a hospital in Jiangsu, said team leaders had provided a 12-chapter work guide that covered all related areas, including jobs, diets, rest, protective supplies and handovers with the original teams at hospitals and quarantine venues.

"We prioritized professional and detailed preparation above an overflowing passion when joining the front-line battle," she said.