Following the 6.5 magnitude earthquake in Ludian County of Yunnan Province in August 2014, professional teams trained at the Sichuan University – PolyU Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction (IDMR) jointly established by PolyU and Sichuan University and supported by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, have been supporting the rebuilding of the quake-stricken areas and conducting disaster prevention training, with the number of beneficiaries amounting to around 7,500. In this issue, Prof. Angelina Yuen, Vice President (Student and Global Affairs), shared the University’s contribution in relief work, reconstruction and disaster prevention in post-quake Yunnan.
What are the areas of work of the IDMR?
The IDMR officially opened in 2013 and PolyU introduced a number of professional programmes for disaster prevention, mitigation and post-disaster reconstruction to the Chinese mainland, with an aim to training local professionals for immediate relief support in the event of disasters. When Ludian County was hit by an earthquake in 2014, Dr Li Sijian of PolyU’s School of Nursing cum programme leader of the Masters programme in Disaster Nursing of IDMR led her students in providing immediate nursing care at the disaster-hit hospitals, whereas Prof. Cecilia Li from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and her students provided immediate post-operation rehabilitation solutions to patients and offered training to local medical practitioners.
What kinds of support did PolyU’s School of Nursing provide in Yunnan?
In the past few years, Dr Li Sijian’s team continuously provided nursing training to local healthcare practitioners, organised disaster prevention training, and distributed disaster prevention kits to local students and teachers. In July 2017, Dr Li and her students published a book titled Disaster Nursing Interdisciplinary Training Manual, summarising their quake-relief experiences in Yunnan.
What were the post-quake services provided by PolyU’s Department of Rehabilitation Sciences?
In the last three years, Dr Cecilia’s team supported local hospitals in establishing rehabilitation departments and provided training to local rehabilitation professionals to help them sustain rehabilitation services after patients return to the community. Recapping their relief work in Yunnan, Prof. Li and her team organised a post-disaster hospital and community rehabilitation symposium and published a teaching manual on disaster management for occupational therapy students.
Please introduce the service learning initiatives in relation to post-quake redevelopment.
In May 2016, PolyU and Sichuan University jointly established PolyU’s first “Service Learning Base” in Sichuan, to cultivate in students a spirit to serve the society. In addition, both universities joined six other universities/institutes to form the Chinese Varsity Disaster Reduction and Sustainable Development Alliance.
More than PolyU 1,000 students have joined study tours, placement and credit-bearing subjects in Sichuan during 2012 - 17. For example, PolyU’s Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology has developed a Service-Learning programme in Shifang to promote safe and green farming practice and introduce local farmers to the scientific methods of growing traditional mushroom. Students from the School of Nursing learned more about disasters and resilience through the making of a “World Disaster Map” and visits in Sichuan. In addition, students had the opportunity to visit cultural sites, earthquake relics and museums to reflect on life and gain a better understanding of Sichuan’s culture and history.