Xinmin Evening News (Special Correspondent Yu Wenlong, Reporter Jiang Yuezhong) On the evening of the 26th, from 6 to 7 pm, the cloud-based "Health Lecture Hall - Keep Your Health Alive" was launched at Shibei Hospital in Jing'an District. Xu Xiuhe, director of the hospital's ped

She uses easy-to-understand language to introduce popular science knowledge about family prevention and treatment measures for common childhood diseases to residents. Behind her, Wang Junjie, a sign language interpreter volunteer at the hospital's deaf clinic, is "gesturing" and performing simultaneous sign language interpretation. “We have never stopped giving our ‘special love’ to the hearing-impaired online and offline.” Zhang Juan, secretary of the Party branch of Shibei Hospital, told reporters.

Caption: A sign language teacher coaches medical staff. Photo by Yu Wenlong

"Troublesome things" found during the survey

During the survey, the hospital learned that because the hearing-impaired people cannot speak or hear, after arriving at the hospital, they feel that the queue time is too long and they have difficulty communicating with the doctors. , especially the elderly deaf people have many inconveniences in seeking medical treatment. The demand for medical treatment by the hearing-impaired people in the hospital has been suppressed for a long time. If it is not met for a long time, minor illnesses will become serious illnesses if they are not treated.

In order to solve the "worrying issues" of the hearing-impaired, in July 2018, Shibei Hospital, under the guidance of party building, opened a deaf sign language clinic. This is also the first medical institution in Jing'an District to offer sign language services for deaf people. The sign language clinic opened by Shibei Hospital not only arranges professional sign language interpreters to assist patients in seeking medical treatment, but also specially equips four medical assistant volunteers and medical volunteers who have received sign language training to accompany patients throughout the entire process from queuing for registration to assisting examinations, obtaining reports, Payment, getting medicine, etc. The hospital also makes online appointments through mobile APPs, sets up a special waiting area for deaf patients, and produces signs and roll-ups for sign language clinics to provide patients with medical convenience.

53-year-old Aunt Chen has hearing impairment due to drug use as a child. She is usually reluctant to go to the hospital for medical treatment because she cannot speak and writes very slowly. It is a headache every time she communicates with the doctor about her condition. Before coming, she was also full of doubts, worried that it might be "better than words"? What she didn't expect was that this time she had a professional sign language interpreter and there was no generation gap when "chatting" with the doctor. She was actually very happy. She had never been so happy to see a doctor before. Aunt Chen was finally able to use the "sign language clinic" to treat the dizziness and headache she had endured for more than half a year. Aunt Chen said through sign language: "It's great that Shibei Hospital has sign language interpreters!" Over the past two years, the Deafness Clinic of Shibei Hospital has helped nearly 600 hearing-impaired people receive proper diagnosis and treatment. The Deaf Sign Language Clinic of Shibei Hospital was also awarded the Jing’an District Top Ten Good People and Good Deeds Nomination Award.

Caption: Sign language interpreter Wang Junjie is "gesticulating" for simultaneous sign language translation. Photo by Zhang Huifen

The epidemic cannot stop love

Just after the 2020 Spring Festival, due to the raging epidemic, many hospitals in Shanghai suspended their deaf-aid services. Faced with the medical needs of hearing-impaired people during the epidemic, should Shibei Hospital open a hearing aid clinic? After careful consideration, the hospital leaders have a clear attitude: As long as the hearing-impaired have needs, we will do everything possible to meet them, but we must strictly implement prevention and control measures to avoid cross-infection. After the holiday, Shibei Hospital's Deaf Clinic will open as usual. The hospital strictly implements prevention and control measures and specially arranges doctors from relevant departments in a relatively close area to provide centralized diagnosis and treatment for the hearing-impaired. Professional sign language interpretation and Medical volunteers provide services to the hearing-impaired on a one-to-one basis. From queuing for registration to getting reports and paying for medicines, medical volunteers are all running errands.

Caption: A doctor treats a hearing-impaired person under the guidance of a sign language interpreter. Photographed by Yu Wenlong

After the Spring Festival, Aunt Huang, who lives in , Pengpu New Village, , her gums became inflamed, the pain was unbearable, and she had difficulty chewing. It affected her eating for 2 weeks. She went to several hospitals (community health centers) near her home, but the diagnosis was not stopped. I just couldn’t “clarify” it to the doctor. Aunt Huang learned from the Internet that the deaf clinic of Shibei Hospital was open as usual and rushed over. Under careful treatment at Shibei Hospital, Aunt Huang's gum swelling and pain were finally relieved.Sign language interpreter Wang Junjie received a WeChat video from Aunt Huang. In the video, she told Wang Junjie in sign language that after a week of drug treatment, her gums were now less swollen and she could eat. She was specifically grateful to him and Shibei Hospital for relieving her. urgent need. During the entire epidemic, the deaf clinic of Shibei Hospital has not interrupted the services of the deaf clinic, and has always maintained a green and safe medical channel for the hearing-impaired. While

cares for the hearing-impaired offline, the hospital has also expanded online services. Starting from July 2020, every time Shibei Hospital launches an online live broadcast of "Health Lecture - Keep Your Health Alive", it will invite sign language interpreter volunteers to do simultaneous translation, and the news will soon spread among the hearing-impaired friends' circles. Open and welcomed by everyone. Doctors and sign language interpreters convey not only health knowledge, but also social care and warmth. According to incomplete statistics, since the launch of the "Health Lecture - Keep Your Health Alive" live broadcast project, more than 36,000 people have benefited from it, with a maximum of 12,000 people watching a single session.