Recently, the Phoenix New Media’s team for the Children Welfare Project and medical volunteers from nearly ten hospitals in Beijing went to Xinhua Hope Primary School in Yeping, Jiangxi Province, to carry out health screenings for children. The group of volunteers performed free health checkups for 272 students in the school.
“Doctor, does the needle hurt?” asked Xiao Hong, a fifth-grade student. The children here, like Xiao Hong, are not familiar with health checkups. As volunteers worked around the clock on examinations, the children looked nervous but were also incredibly intrigued by the checkups as this was the first time for many of them.
The free checkups included detailed examinations by medical staff working at departments of surgery, internal medicine, stomatology, laboratory, ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, and orthopedics. The team found one case of camptodactyly, one case of De Quervain syndrome, and one case of polydactyly, all of which need surgeries. The team also found three cases of arrhythmia, one case of severe trichiasis, 61 cases of abnormal vision, 86 cases of cerumen blockage, and 193 cases of dental caries. The team indicated that they would be establishing personal health records for the children and provide follow-up medical support.
After the checkups, the team conducted workshops on general medical knowledge and emergency medical services. Further, the team set up a new infirmary for the school and donated to the school items such as soccer balls, basketballs, jumping ropes, earth globes, and crayons. Guizhou People’s Publication Dandelion Children’s Library also donated a variety of children’s books to Yeping Hope Primary School.
This event was funded by Aramco Asia and gained strong support from the China Charities Aid Foundation for Children. The Vice President of the Aramco Asia Public Affairs Department said, “We are very proud to be able to provide essential medical services to children in Xinhua Hope Primary School. In the past few years, we have worked with our partners to provide free medical examination services for more than 4,000 children in ten provinces and autonomous regions. We hope that this project will benefit more children in the future.”
The event successfully closed on April 18. The Phoenix New media expressed hopes to continue in putting forth efforts tackling issues related to physical health, mental health, education, and the future development of underprivileged children.
