力行植林慈善基金會

香港 26位醫學生探訪東山後感想

 

1.      Peter Li Ho Ming

The first part of this trip was to visit Dong Shan, which is one of the poorest parts of China. It was quite an experience to me as I was able to talk to the local children, visit the family, eat what the local people eat and do some farming there. For most of the families, only the elderly and children are staying home while their parents are usually working in cities. Through talking and playing with the children, I realised how innocent they are and how much love and care can do to them. During home visits, we provided them with basic medical check-up and brought them some daily necessities. Frankly, I doubted that our visits could do much to the local people but I did believe that our presence had already made them feel happy, as seen in their hospitality. The next place we went to is Fu Ping where I had chance to visit several local hospitals and talked to the doctors there, which helped me to know more about the healthcare system in China. I was also able to talk to and examine the patients in some small clinics, which truly widened my horizon. The last place we went to is Xian, purely for visiting purpose. We have visited places like the Bell Tower, City wall of Xian, Mausoleum of Qin Chi Huang and his Terracotta Army and Lishan. Overall, I am very happy about and satisfied with the trip to China and would like to visit China again soon.

 

2.      Sandy Mak

這次旅程主要分為兩部分，第一是到東山區體驗當地農村生活，第二是到富平參觀當地醫療設施和關懷行動的服務工作。這些經驗都令我獲益良多，擴闊視野。

 

我們首先到廣東東山村，探訪當地留守兒童和長者。在家訪中，透過與當地人的對話，聆聽每一人背後的故事，讓我了解他們的生活文化，甚至社會背後的黑暗。其中一次訪問，我們與一位中年婦女談天，她向我們反映超生小朋友的問題。農民很多時候都會超生，養兒防老，希望下一代能繼承他們的土地。然而，內地推行一孩政策，有些官員以此為藉口，濫收費用，壓榨當地居民。假如他們不能負擔，官員可能會破壞他們的房屋，逼居民交錢。因此，為了逃避他們，有些農民會私下生子，不但缺乏適當的醫療照顧，而生出來的孩子沒有出生証明，影響他們日後出城工作的發展。另外，不少農民亦向我們訴說當地醫療問題。從這些訪問中，雖然農民陳述他們面對的種種困難，然而他們沒有主動要求我們的援助，沒有怨天尤人，只是猶如把我們當作朋友一般，訴說他們的故事。而且，令我更意想不到的，是他們熱情好客的性格。即使生活貧困，三餐不得温飽，每次家訪，農民總會主動邀請我們吃飯，讓我深深感受到他們的友善。

 

在東山村，我們亦有機會到學校進行健康教育。雖然當地小朋友天資未必很好，但他們十分投入，積極學習。我們叫小朋友朗讀文章，他們每一人都會大聲讀出來；我們問問題，他們亦會主動舉手回答。反觀香港小朋友，即使他們有充足資源，有良好讀書環境，但他們的學習態度反比東山小朋友差劣，不懂珍惜所擁有的一切，甚至不懂潔身自愛，身在福中不知福，這些都是我對山區小朋友的一番體會。

 

另外，這次旅程讓我更了解力行的服務工作。對於謝醫生夫婦和一眾義工所負出的努力，我深感佩服和感動。要扶貧，不是只是給人民金錢，而是探究他們面對的難題，從而對症下藥，才可真正幫助他們解困。力行在食水，教育，醫療等方面都提供援助，出錢又出力，他們的善心，實在是難能可貴。但愿我日後能參與更多這類義工服務，幫助其他弱勢社群。

 

行程另一部分，是與關懷行動合作，參觀他們的工作和了解內地醫療制度。我有幸能隨梁秉中教授，到商南看症。這次過程，我更體會到讀萬巻書不如行萬里路。在那兒，我看見不少奇難雜症，亦從教授學習不同的臨床診斷技巧，這些都不能只從書本學習得來，只有親身體會，才能加深印象，讓我終身受用。我亦有機會參觀內地不同階級的醫療設備，包括衛生室，衛生院，中醫院，以及大醫院，使我更了解當地醫療制度。縱使大陸現時發展一日千里，政府開始投放更多資源在醫療硬件，建立完善的設備，然而軟件上依然有不少改善完間。從關懷行行義工口中我得悉很多病人會被醫院敲榨金錢，有些醫護人員會利用病人的無知，胡亂收費，令他們因病致貧。因此，我認為大陸政府需要加強監管醫護人員操守，才可真正為人民提供完善醫療服務。

 

總括而言，我很滿意這次行程安排，讓我在短短十一天內，體會中國社會生活文化，亦可以讓我反思自己現時的生活態度。除了醫學上的知識，我還學習生活上的哲理。這次旅程是我人生中寶貴的一課。

 

3.      Jennifer Lau (CUHK Med 1 student)

This trip is indeed the very first medical service trip that I had ever had before. Though I had prior exposure to volunteering work teaching high school students and science as well as being a student intern at a medical center oversea, nothing I have experienced before was comparable to what I had seen during this trip. What strikes me the most from the trip was the first week staying at Tong Shan, one of the four poorest communities in GuangXi, was seeing how difficult side of poverty that most Tong Shan people are experiencing. Since many of the people including parents of children left the villages to work in the city, left behind were a group of elderly and young children who were often very vulnerable to poverty. It pulled my heartstrings to see toddlers and young kids wandering in the street without much care; many of them were malnourished and underweight. Thanks to the continuous effort of GreenAction, these children now have the options to go to the library (aka pre-school care center) where there are nannies to teach and care of them. As a medical student, I was very impressed and astonished by the establishment of Greenaction, a non government organization founded by a kind hearted doctor who spent endless effort and money to help improve the living condition of Tong Shan people by planting trees to enable a stable source of clean water.  I have learned from him a very important message about how to resolve a problem by tackling the root of the problem (how to improver poverty by ensuring the basic supply of clean water). He has set a very good example to us medical students in applying his knowledge outside of his medical expertise to reach out for people in need. Being enlightened by his benevolent act, I have gained new perspective about how a doctor can help others aside from his work.

 

Although we only stayed in Tong Shan for about a week, I have also acquired new insight about the medical system in mainland China. Most importantly, I have learned and sharpened my skills in communicating and showing care for people in need. Through visiting homes of the local villagers as well as interacting with kids at school and in the library, I was impressed by the positive thinking of these people albeit their poor living condition. These experiences have again proved to me that we are in fact a very fortunate group of people having everything in Hong Kong. I must admit that we medical students were not able to provide or alleviate much of the people’s burden or improve their poverty, however, I believe we have succeeded in extending our love, tender and care to these people, showing them that there are people who care for them. 

 

4.      Adrian Lui

Dongshan (東山), a place of tranquility, has brought me so much happiness as well as worries.  I am amazed to see how plain and unaffected it is, yet there are still many social problems to tackle.

 

My first impression on Dongshan was poverty and it remained the same at the moment I left.  When we visited the locals’ homes, we found that many elderly had their sons working in towns, leaving the grandsons behind.  It was not difficult to imagine how tough it was to earn money for kids in your 80s.  Upon basic medical check-ups, most elderly suffered from hypertension and poor vision.  It was very discouraging to see that they actually give up treatment because of poverty or family burdens.  Still, they welcomed us with tea and corn soups every visit.  I felt strikingly uncomfortable when we realised the hardship they had been suffering behind their generosity.

 

The lively and lovely kids in Dongshan are the last thing that I would forget about the trip.  They liked to leap and buzz around us – an abnormally strong craving for brotherhoods and sisterhoods.  I bet any child living apart from his parents would long to have a companion as well as a role model.  Nevertheless, it was heartening to see how diligent and dependent every child was despite the adverse living environment. 

 

I remember asking a boy named Shogun about his future.  His answer was short but startling – no idea.  I could not help but worry what he would become without any motivating goal.  Even if he follows his parents to work in town, how would such a naive village boy end up in a sophisticated city?  The inconvenient truth made me aware that solving a problem does not solely involve improving the current situation but also planning for future development.

 

The Dongshan volunteer work was followed by an attachment to a hospital in Fuping (富平).  The tremendous medical knowledge brought to us was undoubtedly enlightening and intriguing.  It reminded me how far I still had to go to become a doctor., let alone a good one.  More importantly, though, I had witnessed some of the most atrocious medical practices.  Examples were patients screaming in agony during operations with anesthetists fast asleep and practitioners completely ignoring surgical disinfection. 

I was very blessed to get a glimpse of how China’s current medical situation was.  China has been suffering from severe misallocation of resources.  It has led to incomplete treatments like insufficient follow-ups on patients after surgery. Yet, it is a mixed blessing to see some betterment as China has been revolutionising its medical system.  A health insurance policy is successfully launched for peasants to ensure that the impoverished can be subsidized when ill. Now, I am just surprised to see that Hong Kong has been, in fact, miles ahead of China since nobody is denied of treatment due to poverty or low social status. 

 

All in all, I see the significance of small and large NGOs in helping to rectify social problems and improve living standards of a place.  They have their own limitations yet excel in different manners and society needs them both.  The biggest thing I learned in the trip is how to work on a social problem from a radical approach.  I also felt reassured that I had made the right decision to become a doctor.

 

5.      Lai Chi Lun

Dongshan (東山), a place of tranquility, has brought me so much happiness as well as worries.  I am amazed to see how plain and unaffected it is, yet there are still many social problems to tackle.

 

My first impression on Dongshan was poverty and it remained the same at the moment I left.  When we visited the locals’ homes, we found that many elderly had their sons working in towns, leaving the grandsons behind.  It was not difficult to imagine how tough it was to earn money for kids in your 80s.  Upon basic medical check-ups, most elderly suffered from hypertension and poor vision.  It was very discouraging to see that they actually give up treatment because of poverty or family burdens.  Still, they welcomed us with tea and corn soups every visit.  I felt strikingly uncomfortable when we realised the hardship they had been suffering behind their generosity.

 

The lively and lovely kids in Dongshan are the last thing that I would forget about the trip.  They liked to leap and buzz around us – an abnormally strong craving for brotherhoods and sisterhoods.  I bet any child living apart from his parents would long to have a companion as well as a role model.  Nevertheless, it was heartening to see how diligent and dependent every child was despite the adverse living environment. 

 

I remember asking a boy named Shogun about his future.  His answer was short but startling – no idea.  I could not help but worry what he would become without any motivating goal.  Even if he follows his parents to work in town, how would such a naive village boy end up in a sophisticated city?  The inconvenient truth made me aware that solving a problem does not solely involve improving the current situation but also planning for future development.

 

The Dongshan volunteer work was followed by an attachment to a hospital in Fuping (富平).  The tremendous medical knowledge brought to us was undoubtedly enlightening and intriguing.  It reminded me how far I still had to go to become a doctor., let alone a good one.  More importantly, though, I had witnessed some of the most atrocious medical practices.  Examples were patients screaming in agony during operations with anesthetists fast asleep and practitioners completely ignoring surgical disinfection. 

I was very blessed to get a glimpse of how China’s current medical situation was.  China has been suffering from severe misallocation of resources.  It has led to incomplete treatments like insufficient follow-ups on patients after surgery. Yet, it is a mixed blessing to see some betterment as China has been revolutionising its medical system.  A health insurance policy is successfully launched for peasants to ensure that the impoverished can be subsidized when ill. Now, I am just surprised to see that Hong Kong has been, in fact, miles ahead of China since nobody is denied of treatment due to poverty or low social status. 

 

All in all, I see the significance of small and large NGOs in helping to rectify social problems and improve living standards of a place.  They have their own limitations yet excel in different manners and society needs them both.  The biggest thing I learned in the trip is how to work on a social problem from a radical approach.  I also felt reassured that I had made the right decision to become a doctor.

 

6.      Annie Chan

        這次的旅程中，我們去了兩個給我們感覺很不一樣的地方──東山和富平。

        在東山裏，最特別的就是可以接觸到很多好可愛的小朋友。那裏的小朋友大部份都很乖很懂事，他們在家裏都會幫助家人做家務做農務，我們去做家訪的時候都會自動給我們搬椅子。相比起來，我們香港的小朋友物質享受和生活環境都比他們好得很，可是卻沒有他們懂事。那裏的小朋友也很單純，我們這些哥哥姐姐只是跟他們玩一些很簡單的遊戲，他們都會很享受很喜歡。他們都不會斤斤計較，很願意幫助我們這些陌生人。這些都令我很深刻。

        我們在東山裏也有很多機會去做家訪，跟他們聊聊天、做問卷、做一些簡單的健康檢查。那裏的人都非常熱情和善良。他們不像我們香港人那麼複雜，對人處處防範，他們可以好好的跟我們這些陌生人聊天，就連自己生活不好都請我們吃東西，我們吃了都有點不好意思。不過，其中一次的家訪就讓我有點難過。受訪的阿娣，她的血壓好高，走路的時候又會頭暈、心痛，讓我們都好擔心。可是，就算我們事情告訴了葉姑娘，都幫不了她甚麼，真的好難過好無奈。

        在東山裏我們也有機會去耕地、割草，雖然辛苦，但是這些活動能夠讓我們好好的了解他們的生活，大概徹底的了解他們就是要幫助他們時必須的。可是，遺憾的是，我們沒有機會住在他們家裡去了解他們的生活，希望下一次可以。

        到了富平之後，令人興奮的是，可以有機會跟隨香港的醫生去查房和看他們動手術。第一次看手術，雖然沒有香港高科技的機器，但是在資比較缺乏的富平，我看到了醫生們如何運用他們的機智和創意，用不同的物資去幫助平用，好像是用一根木柱子去做一個”A”字架。不過，遺憾的是，在富平裡我們沒有機會好好的去做家訪，近距離的跟當地的居民聊天和了解他們。而且，因為安排的關係，我的那組沒有機會跟隨梁教授去學習。我們都明白人這麼多是很難安排的，就希望下一次可以安排到每一組都能參加到所有的活動。

        雖然十二天的旅程過去得很快，但是我們都很記掛東山的小朋友，都希望可以繼續用書信跟他們聯絡，鼓勵他們，希望他們的生活一天比一天好，幸福美滿了。

 

7.      卜錦恩

「迎著晨風想一想今天該怎樣努力」一句在東山小學門前的標語，對東山的人民卻是無聲的諷刺－－不論他們每天如何努力耕作，所得的食糧也不夠糊口。東山人民的主糧是由粟米加上石膏粉煮成的粥，這粥味道像石膏，也不飽肚，我吃一頓已經很難受。挨家挨戶跟這裏的留守老人傾談，他們說到家裏的困境或惡劣的身體狀況時少會埋怨，但提到家人遭遇悲劇，都缺堤般漰潰了。他們能忍受生活困苦帶來的痛苦，命運卻要把他們壓得透不過氣。最難忘一位痀僂的老婆婆，她的兒子和媳婦在車禍中喪生，儘管她的行動十分不便，卻要獨自撫育一雙遺孤。雖然我們幾位家訪者不能為她作任何事，但她也多次感激我們關心。那幾天我一直想，醫生或醫學生真的能解決到他們的問題嗎？貧窮牽涉到複雜的社會和政治問題，絶非單單改善醫療水平便能解決。後來力行機構在當地的工作給予我啟示－－從根本處改善教育、就業、醫療、基礎建設，並提供合理的直接援助。這裏的人民最需要的並非我們物質上的援助，而是關心與支持。

 

8.      Lena Xu

Whether it is in terms of leisure, personal enrichment, or medical exposure, this trip has been an unforgettable experience that has taught me valuable lessons, triggered some deeper thoughts and left me with memories that I will treasure forever.

 

In Dong Shan, we saw how poverty can take its toll on the life of the people. As one of the poorest villages in Guang Dong, Dong Shan lacked many of the basic commodities and essential resources like clean drinking water. Luckily, with the help of Green Action Charity Foundation, trees were planted to strategically store water, providing the villagers a secure and sustainable water supply. Furthermore, with the belief that education is a key element in stepping out of poverty, Green Action has built a library to educate preschool children so as to better prepare them for primary school and individually supports needy family to ensure that the children get an education.

 

The story behind Green Action is incredibly touching. The founder of the organization, Dr. Tse had a vision to provide clean water, sanitation, healthcare and opportunity to disadvantaged communities in rural China. However, in just a few years of starting the project, he was diagnosed with leukemia. While fighting the disease, Dr. Tse continued to carry through the project with his own hands. Unfortunately, Dr. Tse still succumbed to the disease, but his wife took over the torch and has been avidly devoted to the foundation and has so far helped countless people. This shows us that with clear vision and passionate people, impossible is nothing. Coincidentally on this trip, I was reading “Tuesdays with Morrie”.  Professor Morrie said, to have a meaningful life, you should “devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning”. Dr. Tse and his wife have really lived up to this standard. Death is not the end of life as the spirit continues to live on.

 

Through the home and school visits, I have found that despite poverty, the people are as generous and the children as polite and considerate as can be. Even though they only have corn soup as their main staple for all meals, all of the families we visited always wanted to offer us something to eat. Maybe it is because of, not in spite of their situation that they have been crafted into such pure, simple, good natured people.   

 

When I said good-bye to a sixth grade girl that I taught during the school visits, she asked me if I was going to come back. In that moment, I felt a sense of sadness but then I gave her a hug and told her that there is always a chance that I will. I hope that I could go back one day to see her and the many other kids that have touched our hearts.

 

Our trip to Xian was more medically oriented.  I was honored to have the opportunity to follow Professor Leung Ping Chung, an orthopedics specialist who is also the director of Operation Concern to Shan Nan to see patients and do screening for orthopedic surgeries. While observing Professor Leung performing physical examination, frantically taking notes, and holding up the X-ray films towards the light to look for abnormalities, I, for the first time, truly felt like a doctor-to-be. It was definitely intellectually stimulating to see so many different cases, some of which have left a lasting impression on me, for instance patients with cerebral palsy, rheumatoid arthritis, osteomyelitis, ankylosing spondylitis. In particular, there was an 18 year old patient how has suffered 13 different fractures over his short life and had a characteristic blue sclera and was therefore diagnosed by Dr. Leung to have a genetic disease called osteogensis imperfecta. What I had learned from this visit was that physical examination and performance analysis are extremely important. Some doctors often quickly resort to high tech imagining or diagnostic tests, but Dr. Leung never skips the “simple” procedures like telling the patient to walk across the room. Dr. Leung also taught me to treat the patient and his disease as a whole to look at its effects and to always make an effort to explain the disease to the patient, whether it is in terms of words or diagrams.   

 

12 days seemed to have passed very quickly, but the friends that I have made, the lessons that I have learned and the images that I have captured are here to stay. 

 

9.      Valerie So Lok-ping

The trip a great success and I have benefit a lot from it.

The experience in Dong Shan has vividly shown me the great influence of environment on people’s health, which I could not picture it or feel it when I first learnt from books or lectures. People suffer from poverty and diseases because they are lack of clean water. They could not grow crops and suffer from hunger, so that many children are found underweight in our health assessment. To save money and water, people there cannot take shower everyday and their homes were always coated with dirt and flies. The hygiene was so poor that renders people in risk of contracting different kinds of diseases. Thanks to Green Action, she restored the vegetation in Dong Shan and provides clean water to the whole area around Dong Shan. Particularly, I was so touched by the children. They are so caring, tough and independent though they do not have their parents to teach them. In Hong Kong, all parents try to provide the best environment and protect their children from any harm in order to cultivate the best development, while the new generations become so vulnerable, dependent and spoiled. It is such a tragic picture. People there are so hardworking all the time so as to make a living, which inspire me to work hard because I have the privilege of not having to worry about survival and having the ability to pursue my dreams. The founder of Green Action, Dr. Tse, is a role model for me as a doctor to contribute to the society and the world.

ß P2 children after winning a game

 

The most striking experience for me in Xi An is the surgery part. I nearly faint in the first surgery which I did not know I would have such a reaction in observing operations. We observed 6 operations in 2 days; it is a very fruitful experience to enrich my medical knowledge. Also, I gradually overcome the fainting reaction. I will be a great advantage for my study when I have to go into operation theatre to learn in year 3. I am also amused by the city, Xi An. It is such an artistic city with numerous historical buildings and local people are so friendly and artful. We saw people dancing and singing on the street at night, and people walking bypass would stop to enjoy the music and dance and also pay to show their appreciations. Subways are so clean and well organized. The development of China is so amazing.

 

10.  Yu Man Leung

During this twelve days trip I have learned a lot. My reward can be roughly divided into three parts, a medical part and an economic and a culture part concerning the general living condition of the villagers and the general attitude adapted by the locals respectively.

Begin with the economic part; it gives me a deep impression for I saw how poor the villagers can be. They have to grow crops from day to night leaving no leisure. Despite their hard work as restricted by the poor soil quality and water supply, they can only grow enough to just survive. When comparing to urban area, they are clearly deprived from opportunities. The poor economic condition complicated them with health and social problems. It is pathetic and unfair. It triggered my eager to resolve their suffering and help them.

Then is the culture part, my observation is mainly from the urban area during the last two days trips at Xian. My perception is that their civil concept is still quite inferior. For instance, they are very reluctant to quarrel. They are very capital-centered, like the tourist guide for our two days visit has tried to deceive us for the touring fee. And the racial discrimination there is also very serious between Han and Hui. The Hui people obviously had a bad attitude towards us. And our tourist guide had also black mouthed the Hui people. The experience is bad.

For medial part, I am very grateful to have the exposure. I have followed two orthopedic surgeons and observed many surgeries at fu pin hospital. It is amazing how preclinical knowledge can be applied clinically and I can also appreciate what surgery can achieve and what it has to compromise. It provides really a good insight to my further pursuit in medicine.

All in all, this trip is wonderful. It breeds my sympathy, concern to my country and interest in medicine. I grow through the trip.

 

11.  Judianna Yu

I want to talk about a girl I first met on the day when we went to 割草 with the local kids. Before I went to Dongshan, I had always thought kids repel me. I had never successfully maintained conversations with any child for more than 1 minute. But this girl called 海珍 changed my mind. On the way to the mountains, we started talking about her idol Jay Chou and by the end of the day we were talking about marriage, love, migrating to the city, the importance of English, her dream to become an artist and how to gain independence when she grew up. The whole day I was bubbling with feelings. I could still remember how strongly I felt like a mother and protective towards her when she held my hand throughout the day, like I had become a dear possession of hers. She would fight with me over carrying the heavy water bottles and knives. She would teach me patiently on the skill to cutting grass. I was touched when she told me that this day was the happiest day she ever had just because I was with her. Never had anyone told me something before and I felt so shocked inside. I was touched when she dragged my leg at the end of the day, wanting to massage my leg. She brought me to her friends, took me back home to see the rest of her family, waited for me in the gardens before dinner. How would I have thought this bond was possible if I had never been in this trip? I had nothing that I could leave behind for her, except perhaps the deep talks we had together and a bracelet I used to wear. Seeing my bracelet now around her wrist, I felt like I could in a way, be with her for some more time.

There were a lot of precious memories in the trip: grabbing the little boy out of the lake when he drowned, following the girls around taking photos, late night Monopoly deals, hours of best chats with best friends, performing physical exams for people outside HK, noticing so many malnutrition signs in children on the game booth, hearing a systolic BP of 190, listening to Frankie’s touching speech to the kids on the last day, helping kids to swallow tablets, dancing with the locals on a plaza, listening how Dr Tse realized big dreams over the years, talking to a man with TB maskless, watching the dailos with their lengs, playing with dogs, finding cheap books in Xi’an bookshops, taking ambulances like they were private cars, soothing a pained girl who woke up in the middle of a surgery, questioning diagnoses in a psychi hospital… there were so much to feel and experience in these 12 days. This is not the first time I had been to China for a voluntary work trip, but this is the one that I will be recalling and remembering for the many years ahead.

 

12.  Jennifer Poon Yuen Ying

From organization to participation, it was an invaluable experience and I have to thank my fellow classmate Nikie for inviting me to join this group – Medical Outreachers. As medical students, we always use time as an excuse for not joining other activities. However, after this trip, I realized the importance of gaining other exposures outside the medical field and it has changed our values in life because with our own eyes, we saw there are people out there working so hard just to keep themselves alive.

 

Throughout the trip, I was impressed over and over again by the generosity of the people in Tung Shan and how they remind cheerful and self-dependent despite the hardship, which was most strikingly unforgettable. The children had occupied most of our time in Tung-Shan, and having stayed there for almost a week, we have had time to understand them and established a relationship with them. All the children are so kind and caring, although they may only be a few years-old and rarely do they see their parents who work away in the city, they already seem so grown-up and there are so much we can learn from them. From talking and sharing with them, most of us have realized how we should embrace the opportunities we have and be grateful for them. 

 

Once again, the things I have learned from this trip have outweighed the things I could give to the families in Tung-Shan and Xian. We might have given the children one week of happiness by being with them, but as we leave, the problems they have reminds. It may seem hopeless for us now as we did not exactly help them in any ways and as students, we are still incapable to care for them even if they are sick. But after this trip, it has made me realized the how step-by-step as we learn, and with appropriate exposure, we may one day become the doctor we want to be. 

 

13.  Kevin KC Cheung

As doctors in training, how we can help people is a question worth considering for medical students.  The trip 醫學行 is an exposure that gave me some insights into the question.

The two NGOs we visited, Lik Hang and Operation Concern, take very different approaches in helping the poor in mainland.  Lik Hang essentially provides basic necessities such as clean water to the town of Dong-Shan and building a ‘library’ for children there.  It attempts to provide the opportunities for the peasants there to work for what they want. Operation Concern is more medical-focused, providing free orthopedic care as well as medical insurance to peasants who are too poor to support the premium.

A way to interpret the question ‘how we can help’ is ‘in what means we help’.  Observing the achievements of Lik-hang, it reminds that doctors are capable of helping in a much wider scope than just giving diagnosis and treatment.  We should not confine ourselves to the ‘profession’.  Like Operation Concern, we can also work in healthcare policies by making use of our exposure to the medical field.

A second way to interpret the question is ‘how we would be qualified to help’. During the trip we had the opportunity to observe how Prof. PC Leung screen and examine patients.  It is lucky to witness how Prof. Leung can deliver his compassion, care and confidence to the patients.  Impressed by the experience, I know it is still a long way for we medical students to be a qualified doctor.

 

14.  Queenie Mak Ho Yan

旅程中，孩子、老人、病患，他們都有各自的故事。腦癱的孩子跟家人，受火傷十多年，一次又一次的手術──無奈、傷痛。很佩服專程從香港遠道而至的一隊醫生，短短的三兩天，竭力改善病患的「Quality of Life」。在陝西，很多慕名趕至篩查的病人，都是不能完全根治的。他們常以為看醫生、食藥、開刀，病就一定會好。近年內地醫療都是市場主導，病人都是「Vulnerable」的；醫者之心應以德為本，以病患者為先。 

至於「醫學行」和植樹種地割草有什麼關係呢？每天跟當地的農民聊天、和孩子們玩耍學習，融入山區的生活，環環緊扣，真切了解當地人民的需要，從根本問題入手。所謂的「Put in other’s shoes」，正是這樣。談到孩子的未來，兩校的醫學生，臨走前一天跟孩子們討論將來的願景，試著種下希望的小苗。說真的，我們得到的其實比所做到的更多。 

衷心感謝一個又一個跟我們曾經相遇的人。今次的體驗是「醫心之路」的一個啟程，發掘到多面的可能性，一步一心。醫生的工作治標不治本？答案每每不只得一個。「Whole person care」的全面關顧，是身體力行的「Devotion」。 

 

15.  黃海鵬

        此次東山富平之旅，獲益良多。

        早在一年前，我正在籌劃著醫科二年級後短短的暑假該怎麼度過。有感自己已經很久沒有好好了解中國的現況，所以我決定報名參加這服務團。

        經過面試得知有幸參加這次服務團並安排到家訪團隊負責安排在東山的家訪行程，我開始感覺到和我一起前往的人的認真和熱情，使我不知不覺也更認真起來。在各人的努力下最後成功安排家訪的行程。

        到了東山，才發現自己面對的是比我想像中還要貧困的農民家庭。他們每天即使身上帶病也沒錢治病，年紀多大也一定要下田耕作但求溫飽，還要養育因父母出城打工而留下的孩子，同時面對惡劣的衛生環境…種種生活困境都使我心痛。

        雖然他們生活艱困，不過他們相當好客，每次來訪他們都會堅持沖茶給我們；孩子們也相當知足，有禮貌；和他們遊玩也投入其中，每次都盡興而歸。使我覺得他們即使物質生活不佳，精神上其實是相當堅強，知足。反觀香港兒童生在福中不知福，經常要求更多享受。可見城市的人也有向農村的人學習的地方的。

        其後富平的行程使我了解到中國的醫療還是遠遠的落後於香港等發達地區。除了硬件不佳，醫院設備不足、衛生惡劣外，醫生、護士等人手嚴重不足，制度上病人也要自付醫療費用，使無數病人因無錢治病而使病情惡化。不過，即使在這種情況下，我還是見到一班熱心的香港義工團隊不辭勞苦的成功進行一宗又一宗精彩絕倫的手術，為眾多患者送上一點希望。他們的服務中國百姓深深感動了我，令我決定畢業後也要成為像他們的好醫生。

        最後古城西安的行程參觀了中國古代留下來的各種文物遺跡，也一嚐地道各種美食，為這次旅程畫上完美的句號。

 

16. 陳佩儀(Connie, Chan Pui Yee)

開始時在東山逗留的七天，是這個行程中給我留下最深印象的部分。從未去過貧困山區的我，當車子快要駛進東山時，已有了將會經歷完全不一樣的生活的心理預備，但我隨後發現，在這七天裏所經歷到的是遠遠超過想像的。 

每天在街道上，看到的都是幾個小孩在街上亂跑亂跳，老人坐到家門前目光散煥的望著我們經過。留守兒童和留守老人的問題表露無遺。 

家訪，做農務和割草是最能夠了解和體驗東山居民的生活和所面對的困難的活動。很多家庭都只有老人和幾個兒孫住在一起，年輕的都到清遠或其他城市工作。然而，很多年輕人都因為生活困難而沒有錢寄回給家中的父母，甚至沒有充夠的錢回家探望父母。家家戶戶的老人和小孩每天食的都只是稀麥羹，一年可能只會吃一次肉和菜，兩餐溫飽可能已成為每天的生活難題，更別說肚子痛關節痛會否去看醫生。儘管如此，這裏的人沒有因為我們是從較富裕的城市來的而討厭我們或是期待我們會怎樣協助改善他們的生活，反而是熱情地請我們喝茶，甚至要請我們嘗嘗他們賴以為生的食糧－麥羹，我們都被他們這份在城市裏少有的熱情和對人的真誠所感動，同時亦為他們的生活感到難過，他們好像是國家蓬勃發展時被忽略遺下的一群。他們都沒有期望政府國家為他們做些甚麼，好像是對這種貧困的生活麻木了，不會想到有人會對他們的生活作出甚麼改變。假如社會上沒有人正視他們的生活，他們就會一直困在這貧窮圈裏，沒有能力和最後變成沒有動力走出去。因此，我們除了在這裏聆聽他們的情況和感受以及給他們一些衛生用品外，更要想的是日後長遠來看我們能隨著一個怎樣的方向去務實地幫助這班村民，就如謝醫生用植樹方法解決東山缺水的問題。 

至於家中的小朋友，到了小學的年紀，除了上學外，還要一大清早幫助父母或家中的老人耕地，有些還要肩負起照顧家中的老人和弟弟妹妹。這裏的小孩都很懂事很成熟，肯捱苦，不會埋怨父母不在身邊或是沒有娛樂。年紀這麼少，卻會凡事都以家人為先。反觀我們小時候，只顧不斷向父母要求更多更多物質上的享受，每天過著的又是多麼奢偖浪費的生活，而且只會顧及自己。最深刻的是，跟小學生一起割草的那天下著雨，小朋友帶我們走的捷徑都是較斜和濕滑，每當我走得有點猶豫和緩慢時，跟我一起步行的小妹妹都會伸出細小但穩定的手掌扶著我：＂來，姐姐，小心＂這班可愛的小孩每天就是要走這些對城市人來說有點崎嶇的山路小徑，他們早已走慣這些路，甚至能倒過來照顧我們這班大哥哥大姐姐，既感動也佩服。自少在城市長大的我們，即使沒有驕生慣養，也是從來沒有食過甚麼苦頭，更別說有為過家庭作出很大的貢獻。比起這班懂事的小孩，以前的我們擁有的比他們多，付出的比他們少，亦不懂得珍惜和知足。 

當這裏的小孩開始熟悉我們後，他們很快就開始每天一大清早到眼科基地看著和等我們吃完早餐後跟他們玩一陣子，又會在下午等我們家訪等活動回來後跟他們玩。這大概是因為他們平日沒有人跟他們玩。像他們這麼年紀小的小孩，應該是倚著父母釀著要父母疼的，但他們的父母大都不在家，所以他們會這麼渴望我們跟他們玩。一方面我們很開心能夠帶給這班小孩甚至我們自己歡樂和溫暖，但另一方面也明白到，這是這是社會問題造成的遺憾。 

在中國有著同樣問題的地區不只是在東山這裏，而當我們正在享受國家繁盛的果實時，也應好好運用我們有的知識和能力去幫助國內的同胞，了解他們缺乏的，並改善他們的生活。這次東山之行特別是在了解力行植林慈善基金會的工作後，讓我明白到，要幫助貧困地區的人民，改善他們的生活水平，並不是遙不可及的事，只要有一班有心有力的人去了解，去作試驗，去計劃，是能做得到的。 

在行程的另一部分－富平，我們有到富平的醫院參觀。我們除了了解到當地的醫療設備和制度外，還有看一些骨科手術，康復治療等，以及探望醫院裏的病人和家屬，了解他們的情況。這裏有很多小朋友都患有腦性癱瘓(Cerebral Palsy)，因為很多人的家都離醫院很遠，一要到醫院就是幾個小時的車程，對孕婦來說是十分不方便，胎兒很容易在出生時因腦部缺氧而患上這個病，而這個病帶來的後遺症往往是終生的。傾談下，知道這些患有CP的小孩的母親沒有嫌棄自己的兒女，一直含辛茹苦和堅強地養大他們，給他們快樂和健康，又帶著兒女長途跋涉到不同的地方看醫生，迫切地希望醫生能為他們的兒女做手術或者至少裝腳架減輕兒女的痛苦或是身體上的缺憾，而這些家庭往往同時又要同時背負家境貧困的經濟負擔。記得有一位母親把很多她女兒的照片給我們看時，眼神流露出欣喜和欣慰時，我就知道，她一定十分愛這個女兒，儘管她有缺憾，儘管她和其他小孩不一樣，儘管她可能要一輩子辛勞地照顧她，她也會一直疼愛這個女兒。看到這一切，我充分感受到母愛的偉大，但另一方面亦為他們感到心痛，因為我知道這種情況是社會環境造成的，只要能在當地改善醫療配套設施和改善富平市民的生活和經濟情況，很多CP的個案都是能夠避免的，很多這些小孩和他們的家人所承受的痛苦和壓力都是能夠避免的。 

很幸運自己能夠有機會到東山和富平作體驗，雖然這次行程與醫學有關的部分並不多，但是所看到的人地事物以及所經歷過的生活，反而更是可貴，它們帶給我們對人生對自己對同胞對國家對社會很多反思，使我重新思考這一切之間的關係以及作為一個醫科生對未來對社會的定位。我亦會深深記得這裏的人對我們的那份真摯和親切的情。

17.  Carmen Chong

這次活動主要分為兩部分，第一部分是在東山村了解貧困山區的情況，第二部分則在富平參觀內地城市化的醫院。雖然兩部分截然不同，但同樣令我獲益良多。

我們首先跟隨力行植林慈善基金會在東山村停留了六天，主要活動包括家訪、探訪東山小學、做農務、舉辦遊戲日、到水庫林區割草。透過家訪，令我了解到當地居民的困難。同時，看著他們縱然生活在如斯惡劣的環境，亦能堅強地活下去，尤其是當地的兒童，他們連最基本的三餐溫飽也沒有，更遑論是香港兒童所擁有的新衣、玩具、遊戲機，但他們卻擁有最真摯最單純的笑容，卻擁有香港兒童所缺乏的懂事，這一切都令我慚愧，從小就生活在香港這片福地，卻不懂得知足，不懂得珍惜自己所有的一切，還在抱怨生活的不足，相比東山村的一群，我們的困難實在是微不足道。這亦引發我重新反思人生的意義，每天不少人在勞勞碌碌，追逐著名利物質，但他們快樂嗎？充實嗎？相反，在與小朋友相處的時間，雖然沒有任何物質上的滿足，但看著他們天真的笑容，相信我們每一名義工臉上掛著的也是同樣的笑容，因為我們得到的都是心靈的滿足，這都是單純地發自內心的快樂，並不是建基於任何名利物質。我相信人生的意義就是這樣，亦希望日後的生活，無論發生什麼事，也不要忘記人生的根本就是為了追尋心靈的滿足。

度過了在東山村樸素卻充實滿足的六天後，我們回到城市—富平，所得到的又是另一番體會。在富平，我們跟隨關懷行動的義務骨科醫生到醫院參觀。我們有幸進了手術室，第一次近距離看到了整個手術。老實說，對於一個一年級生，他們說的術語，我不懂；他們進行的步驟，我不懂；什麼muscle、tendon、bone的名字，我也不懂。如果你問我學術上學到什麼，我相信是有一點的，但也極其有限。但是，在手術完成的一刻，我感受到前所未有的激動和成功感，我真正體會到醫生救人的神聖使命。雖然每個進來醫學院的學生都是有著救人的願望，但口說與親身感受始終是不同的，這次手術令我親身體會到醫生治癒病人的滿足感，更重要的是帶給病人新的生活。我想我永遠也不會忘記這種深刻的感受，亦希望這感受能時刻提醒我當醫生最根本的理想。我相信這次的經歷給予我的體會，比學術的收穫，更是難能可貴。

十二天的行程轉眼便過去了，但這趟旅程帶給我們的收穫卻是畢生受用。

 

18.  Denise Cheng

I have never been to any similar trip as this before: being at the poor rural area, volunteering and come face to face with the locals there. So everyday of these 12 days were new and challenging to me. I have never expected myself to be able to cope with the primitive environment nor did I know that I can actually communicate at ease with the people there. I have really widen my horizon and learnt; for whether the way that people live there, or the setting of the health stations and hospitals, using the limited resources to maximum effect is something that you can see everywhere. Every time we visited a village we would certainly encountered passionate and generous villagers. When the kids at Dong Shan smile they melt your heart. You will forget the fact that these people are living in deficiency. It reminded me that human under rough conditions can still manage to survive, have their lives and find their own contentment.

 

These 12 days have been an experience of my life. As a medical student, I am inspired in a lot of ways. I understand that I should develop my interests in other fields as I study hard in the medical school. I know I need to venture the world more, to see more through my own eyes. This trip will not be an end but rather a start of me, continuing to gain varies exposures and developing into a whole person, a whole medical student.

 

19.  Jason Chan Chong Kit

This 12-day trip is enjoyable and valuable. I have experienced and explored a lot in Tongshan and Fuping. 

In Tongshan, I have experienced the villagers’ life, daily work and food there through home visiting, farming and mowing. Their life is simple without many entertainments. They usually start farming corns and vegetables in early morning and return home at nightfall. They sleep early after chatting with neighbors, having dinner and watching television. The hygiene is bad as wet and weather favors flies and mosquitoes. The hospital is far away so that they just buy some pills without doctors’ prescription if they have cold or flu. They seek uncertified doctors in village when they are severely sick. During the physical examination in home visiting, we found that a number of villagers have hypertension but they have never been treated by doctors. One of them has blood pressure up to 190 mmHg and she sometimes feels epigastric pain, dizziness etc. However, she has never sought help from doctors as she has no money. Although they are poor, they have not complained anything to us and they are satisfied to their life whenever they have adequate food. They are nice and generous and keep asking us to have tea or corn soup even though their food is inadequate. I am impressed by their satisfaction to life, reminding me of a Chinese idiom “Happy is he who is content”. I treasure the experience in Tongshan and I understand more about the actual needs of the poor. 

In Fuping, it is my first time to observe operations. These operations were done by some Hong Kong surgeons. For example, total hip replacement, skin grafting in patient with severe burn and lower limb problems are interesting. I have explored much and broaden my view in medical field.  

20.  Brain Luk

Indeed, as Dr. Leung Ping Chung said in a sharing in Xian, this trip is more of an event for our exposure than an event for us to learn a bunch of medical knowledge. We went to a village in one of the rural areas in Guangdong, in there I saw the importance of drinking water to a village. DRINKING WATER, is a term which appears frequently under the heading “Factors affecting health”. So simple and straightforward, that sometimes we may forget that. However, seeing the impact of a clean and sustainable drinking water supply on this rural village, I realized how important are basic life essentials to people’s lives, and how ignorant are some medical students to give little attention to these stuff when learning about community medicine. Apart from the above thought, I also grew my ability to think about different ways to solve problems. Despite of my inability to help those village children out, I tried my very best to challenge my brain by thinking solutions to their problems, such as education, hygiene, health.

All in all, this trip was fruitful in terms of exposure to clinical cases (for we could peep live surgeries just behind surgeons!), and I would gladly recommend this trip to my friends if it could be held again.

 

21.  Abram Chan

Regarding Dongshan:

Prior to the trip, I was skeptical and doubtful towards the amount of aid we could give to the people of Dongshan, Guangdong.  We were just a group of year 1 or year 2 medical students, insufficient in terms of knowledge, skills and resources.  How could we possibility contribute?  After this part of the trip, it did help confirm my pessimistic thought, that yes, we couldn’t help much.  But was it that simple?  The main aim of medical professionals is not to treat or cure problems, but to relieve pain and suffering, to comfort always.  Yes, we couldn’t treat the patient who had rheumatic arthritis and couldn’t walk down the hill to receive medical help.  But we could give him a toothbrush, a piece of soap, and a towel, and soothe him through words.  Yes, we couldn’t equip the students there with enough knowledge through one or two lessons.  But we gave them hope, and an opportunity to understand the importance of working hard that might not even have happened without us spending time with them.  Short-term our help may be, but the fact that they received such help may already have overwhelming impact onto their lives.

 

Regarding Xi’an:

Through these few days at Fuping and Xi’an, we were given the chance to witness surgical operations performed by Hong Kong doctors at a local Chinese hospital at Fuping.  There were a few different operations carried out including tendon elongation operations on patients with cerebral palsy.  These let me understood that sometimes doctors need to “destroy” body tissues, structures in order to treat the problem at hand, as the surgeons made incisions to cut the Achilles tendon or other tendons.  We also visited a psychiatric hospital.  To most of us, this was our first experience with mentally-ill patients.  To talk to them help us gain better insight into the conditions of these patients.  But what struck me most was the fact that these patients were not handled by psychiatrists, as there was no psychiatric training in Chinese medical schools, but by ordinary medical practitioners.  This deeply saddened me by the dim future of these psychiatric patients.

 

22.  Amanda Mun

There are many ways as to how I can express my thoughts about the recent medical outreachers’ long trip. I can describe to you in detail the things I’ve done there with our fellow comrades along with how I feel about said things. I can give you a diary-like account of our day-to-day events, the things I have learnt and the things that are funny, happy, sad, all the jazz.

 

However, I think it’ll be apt (and economical time-wise) to just share with you what I have learnt throughout that two memorable weeks in China.

 

So first up, Dong Shan.

 

I learnt that medicine is not the only method in helping people, nor is it the most efficient. I learnt that one should not merely look at the patient’s blindness or broken foot as the major problem that said patient faces. Sure, those tend to be our main concerns, considering how much drilling we’re putting ourselves through in medical school but the patients may see things different from the way we do. They worry about whether or not they’re going to have enough food on the table. They worry about their grandchildren’s education, or lack of. They worry about things that most of us never had to (or have to) worry about. So it’s not necessarily just a broken foot or bad vision. There may be many more layers to that and if we really care, it’ll be of more help if we can take the initiative to explore further into the layers.

 

I learnt that children in the rural villages tend to grow up faster. By growing up, I don’t mean physically (sadly, quite a large number of them are underweight). It’s their high level of maturity, their politeness and obedience and honesty that really touched me and my comrades throughout our stay in Dong Shan. It’s astounding how trusting they can be towards total strangers like us, and how reliable they are in taking care of themselves and others.

 

I learnt that in this world, there is always something. If you don’t have water, you plant trees and the water comes. If the children find difficulties coping in school, you build a nursery to better prepare them. If the elderly people cannot care for their grandchildren due to cataract problems, you find doctors to surgically treat them for free. This taught me a pretty valuable lesson, to be honest. With a little bit of backbone and some brain, there is always something you can do in the face of a predicament.

 

I learnt that the kids in the village are very charming, perhaps more dependable than men even. They hold up umbrellas for you despite being half your height. They hold onto your hands all the time despite your sweaty palms. They offer to carry your grass-cutting tools for you. They watch over you and hold on to your hand as you tread tricky paths up and down the mountain. They never run out of hugs, sweet words and big happy smiles. I hope they taught our boys a lesson (just kidding).

 

I learnt that spiders are very hard to kill, and they shouldn’t even be killed in the first place, as long as they do not bother you sleeping.

 

I learnt that every single family in the village will want to treat you to some tea or tofu, no matter how limited their supply may be, though I must say that the tofu was really good.

 

I learnt how to say ‘medicine’ in Cantonese properly, so much so that it no longer sounds like ‘meat’.

 

Most importantly, here, in Dong Shan, I learnt how to help, and this is something that I hope, can be of great use to me and others in the near future.

 

Next, Fu Ping.

 

I learnt that different parts of China have different problems. Or rather, its people have different problems. Whilst the people in Dong Shan worry about basic needs like food and education, their environment can still be considered pretty safe as it’s isolated from the dangers that lurk in the outskirts of the cities with its occasional cunning crooks and very often, wild vehicles that seem to travel in all directions. In Fu Ping, there seem to be so much going on and not everybody there are like the majority of the nice honest people that we have seen in Dong Shan. With that come new problems: suspicions of corruption, crimes and well, car accidents.

 

I learnt that some of the hospitals in China, particularly the ones in the outskirts, are still lacking in terms of cleanliness and adequate facilities. The toilets are disguised as mere smelly drains (it may be the other way around). Sterilisation seems non-existent despite the low infection rate. As for anaesthesia… let’s just say that in all three surgeries that I have witnessed there, all three patients seemed to have had their share of being in great pain.

 

I learnt or at least, tried to learn how to talk to patients and the parents of patients about their respective medical conditions without sounding like a complete moron.

 

More importantly, I learnt how to listen to their stories.

 

I learnt never to ask a mental patient what he is doing in a mental hospital ever again.

 

I learnt that it is possible to have food that is too sweet, too salty, too sour and too spicy in the span of one complete meal, which I must say, is a painful waste of ingredients.

 

I learnt that orthopedic surgeries are like carpentry, though bones are probably much harder to hammer than wood.

 

I learnt that I get disturbingly excited when I watch a surgeon remove the head of a patient’s femur, and I hope that doesn’t scare people.

 

Last of all, Xian.

 

I learnt that regrettably, I know very little about Chinese history, and that it’s time for that to change.

 

I learnt that Chinese history is indeed very fascinating. From lazy emperors to archers with funny hairstyles to women who were considered beautiful if they’re fat, single eye-lidded, and round-faced.

 

I learnt that China had 108 emperors, and 72 of them are in Xian, and my father, who knows practically everything about Chinese history, didn’t know that.

 

Chinese history aside, I learnt that traveling and sightseeing with a bunch of newfound friends can really make an experience all the more special, happy and worthwhile.

 

I feel immensely fortunate to have had such an experience, and it will always remain as a fond and memorable one for me.

 

I hope that what I’ve leant will be put to adequate use in the near future, and I also hope that there’ll be more fond memories to come.

 

Please and thank you.

 

23.  Frankie Wong Chi Hang

十二天的醫學行令我有很深的體會……

學到的, 看到的比我們所能做的多很多很多。

首先，我體會到東山居民的無奈，受天然環境所限，辛苦的成果既不能賣錢，又不能為自己同家庭提供足夠營養，當我們在埋怨一分耕耘，只有一分收獲，莫講話一分耕耘，一分收獲，連十一分耕耘，他們一分收獲也未必有。

另外，我明白到要根治問題，往往要從根處着手︰貧窮或醫療問題，光是提供金錢或藥物援助是無補於事的，根本是治標不治本，謝醫生則想到透過植林為東山提供一個潔淨的水源來根治東山的問題，這正是書本中學到的”Up streaming model”。他亦知道一雙手的力量有限，因此成立了基金會令他的理想能在永遠的延續下去，教助更多的人。也許這就是人生的意義吧，人的一生有限，如何把它變得有意義，把它延續下去﹖就是影響更多的人去完成自己的理想吧！

在另一方面，從梁教授身上我學到當醫生的真正意義，醫生看的不應只是病人上的疾病，而是要當病人是一個整體來看的。另外，除了書本的知識外，與病人溝通的技巧也是極其重要，梁教授令人佩服的除了是淵博的醫學知識外，還有他那能在短短幾分鐘內與病人建立起良好關係的說話技巧及對病人憐憫之心。

總括而言，是次旅程真的令我大開眼界，見識不少，不論是在對學醫的看法上，還是對人生意義的理解上有着重大的影響。

 

24.  Tracy Ho Hang Yee

醫學行，我會理解為醫學生學習如何利用自己的醫學知識去幫助別人，如何以一個醫學生的身份去面對病人，大眾。這次醫學行的參加者都是一、二年級的醫學生，在醫學這個專業領域上，我們就像初生嬰兒般，在學習如何走路，走過這條漫漫長路，去完成我們最初最簡單理想─幫助有需要的人。這次醫學行提供了很多機會讓我們去接觸病人，了解他們所面對的困難，從而明白到醫治病人的疾病固然是重要，但更重要的是醫心。

 

雖然我對中國的環境並不陌生，但卻不太了解中國醫療制度，也從未到訪過如此貧困的地方。首次進行家訪時，便可以觀察得到東山的人民的生活情況的確比起一般貧窮地方更要差一點，足夠糊口對他們來說已經很滿足了，還談甚麼收入？雖然如此，但是他們都很好客，經常邀請我們嘗嘗他們的麥羹，縱然這已經是他們的主要食糧。很多人都覺得現代的中國人很醜陋，市儈，某情況上我認為這些指控並不是不無道理的，但是我在東山人民的身上所看到的是截然不同的一面，他們是那麼純樸，而我總能相信他們的說話。他們也沒有要求我們給予他任何物質上的幫助，而事實上，我們也不能給予他們甚麼實質的幫助，只能夠向他們表達我們的關懷和做一些簡單的身體檢查，不用說有時候我們不知道他們所患的是甚麼病，即使知道，我們又可以做到甚麼呢？只可以叫他們去看醫生，但是他們最大的難題是沒有錢，那麼，我們現階段可以做到甚麼呢？其實的確是很無奈的。

慶幸的是，雖然他們的生活環境不是太好，但很多人還是知足的。

 

在東山的幾天，我相處得最多的便是小朋友。他們是多麼的天真和可愛，一旦握住你的手，便不允許其他小朋友再拉你的手，即使是好朋友也不能。為什麼他們的佔有慾那麼強呢？很大可能是他們都缺乏一個完整的家。有些家庭的爸爸媽媽都出外打工賺錢，把孩子交給家中老人家照顧，即使祖父母疼愛孫子，但卻不可以代替爸爸媽媽。於是，我們的出現，帶給他們歡樂和被照顧的感覺。雖然有時候他們會比較貪玩一點，但是他們比起城市的孩子懂事得多，有時候我甚至懷疑，他們現在不是應該處於一個無憂無慮的階段嗎？然而現實卻不允許他們這樣做。我明白這些小朋友友需要的並不是短暫的怏樂，而是長期的關懷和照顧，他們經常看到不同的義工到來及離去對他們也未必是一件好事，但願我將來能再次踏上東山這片土地，幫助當地的小朋友和人民。

 

西安的富平讓我看見的是中國和香港醫療體制的極大對比，無論是制度、質素或設備上。由於醫療體制不同，當地醫院看錢會比較重。有一個媽媽對我哭訴說醫院的人都很黑心，甚麼都要錢，她帶著腦癱的女兒坐六、七個小時的車到醫院尋求治療，卻無功已還。她甚至還把她寫給政府的一封信給我看，我是深切明白到她的困難，我感到很心酸，但我只能安慰她，叫她加油。我知道中國還有太多這樣的情況，關懷行動沒錯能夠幫助很多人，但一個關懷行動能夠幫助全中國的貧窮戶嗎？要達到不會有人因沒錢而不去治病或病死，恐怕還有一段漫長的路要走。

 

另外，是當地醫療質素。我明白當地的醫療設備和水平一定比不上香港。但讓我驚訝的是當地醫護人員的態度。麻醉師竟可在手術途中不見了，直至病人痛醒了，才回到手術室，還要在手術途中講電話。更甚的是有手術室人員竟在手術室睡覺。在香港，這些情況是不能接受的。但在中國，能夠接受治療就已經很好了，還談甚麼醫療質素？我不是說香港的醫療質素沒有可改善的地方，但是我認為香港市民可理解一下醫護人員為大眾的健康所付出的努力，這樣對雙方都有好處。

 

這次醫學行對我來說絕對是一次寶貴的經歷，希望在不久的將來我能以醫生的身分再次踏足那片土地去幫助有需要的人。

 

25. Nikie Sun Ho Yee

Visiting Tong Shan was an unforgettable voluntary experience, I had not experienced by that time the importance of education. Tong Shan was a surprisingly poor village of Guangdong county, the hilly and unfertile land made farming difficult if not impossible.

 

It was encouraging that the deworming campaign carried out successfully in Shan Ping and Tong Shan Primary School. In the process of planning, some of our advisors, committee members and several involved parties are not fully supportive of the campaign because of various reasons, for example safety issue and the questioned efficacy. It turns out around 10% of the primary school students reported worms in feces after taking the drug. I believe that the percentage was an underestimation because the event incidents are based on self report bases by young children. This is an experience of incorporating science and real life, utilizing knowledge from books and journals to make a very small change. Nevertheless, the essential problem of fecal-oral route infection has to be solved and extensive personal hygiene education is needed in order to eradicate the helminthes disease. This further reinforced my belief of the importance of sustained and long-term volunteering. I hope that this is not the last time ‘Medical Outreachers’ sending medical student volunteers to Tung Shan.

 

While deworming targets the younger population, village home visits gave us another perspective of the ‘left-behind’ population. By doing a general body check up, medical survey and chatting with the elderly, we found a significant portion of the population do not feel satisfied with their lives and at least 4 of them cried in front of my home visit team. I learned that medical problem may not be the main concern by the population as they are still struggling to feed themselves.

 

I learnt much more about mainland in the trip and the conflict between city and village. The visit broadens my horizons and helps me setting goals of my life and career.

 

26.  Wong Cheuk Wah

在這短短的十二天，我得到了一次非常寶貴的經驗。我們在這次旅程中到訪了廣東的東山和陝西的富平，兩個在地埋上相距甚遠的城市，兩地的居民卻遇著相似的困難：貧窮，看病難等等的問題。這次活動除了令到我對中國農民的生活，以及整個中國的醫療架構有更深的認識外，亦令到作為一年級醫學生的我，作出了反思以及重新思索我的人生目標。

 

在東山時，我們有幸能與力行植林慈善基金會合作，該會的創辦人是謝醫生，他不遺餘力地參與慈善工作，並且不斷學習以應付所遇到的種種困難。他的經歷深深的打動了我，我一直都以為，當我們成為醫生後，礙於工作的繁重，我們很難再抽時間去做醫療以外的事情。可是謝醫生的例子正正告訴我們，作為醫生要照樣關心社會上的問題，困為我們都是社會，甚至國家的一份子。忙碌並不能作為少參與公益活動的藉口，作為醫學生的我們，現在除了應多參與公益活動外，還應積極培養自己的興趣及學懂如何更有效地管理時間，並要多作嘗試，不要局限自己。

 

透過家訪，我能夠更了解當地居民的生活，他們絕大多數都生活在貧窮下，滿足了基本的溫飽外就沒有多餘的錢。但當我們去探訪他們的時候，他們都非常熱情，把自己的糧食都拿出來，熱烈招待我們，有時我們都有點不好意思呢！雖然他們的生活並不是富裕，而且每天都要為自己的糊口而努力工作，但我們可以看到他們大部分人臉上都掛著笑容，與他們談話會發覺他們很簡單，對於自己的生活沒有過分的憂慮。這樣樂天的性格，在香港這些大城市內好像越來越難找到了。知足常樂，聽就聽得多了，可是我們又有幾多時候能夠做到？

家訪的時候，其實只要細心點，就能發覺每個家庭，甚至每個人背後都有其故事。從中，我學懂了不少與人溝通的技巧。我們亦發現，其實不少人都有著不同的健康問題，可惜他們大多數都沒錢看病，以致他們連最基本的醫療服務都未能享用。另一個問題就是，縱使他們有錢去看病，但卻遇上了一些無良的醫生或騙徒，繼而被騙去金錢，又或是延誤了醫治。而這樣的情況更不止一次半次，相信主要原因是他們知識不夠，以致未能保護自己。

這亦提醒了我在將來作為醫護人員時，應注意自己的操守及對待病人時應有的態度，由於在知識上的不對等，假如處理不當，很容易便會做成醫者對患者的一種「醫療暴力」，就如我們在家訪時看到的例子。

說實話，我們在家訪時並未能帶給他們一些實際的幫助，例如知道他們高血壓後，根本未能提供藥物，叫他們去看醫生又不太可行。這時我們都會感到有點無助，到底我們還能夠怎樣去幫助他們？

 

除家訪外，東山的小朋友同樣令我印象深刻，他們大多都是留守兒童，父母都到城裏打工，剩下他們與（外）祖父母同住。他們全都十分懂事，會幫忙做農務，而且年紀少少已經能自己照顧自己，甚至比我們這些大學生還要獨立，我看到後心中不禁慚愧起來。還有就是，只是短短數天的時間，我們已經由一個陌生人，變成了他們的好朋友。由此可見，他們十分渴望別人的關心和認同。可以說，缺乏關懷和照顧是留守兒童面對的最大問題。

相比東山，香港的兒童實在是太幸福了。我們不用擔心溫飽，又有良好的學習環境和設施，我們真的該好好把握每一個學習機會。

 

在陝西，我們參觀了一些大型的縣級醫院，又到了位於村落的衛生室。這些行程令我對中國目前的醫療體制有了一個初步的瞭解。而跟隨梁秉中教授到陝南義診更令我眼戒大開。其實很多時，醫生都不能根治病人的病，在這些時候，我們應去著手改善病人的生活和心理質數，盡量令他們好過一點，醫病之餘亦醫心。在教授身上，我們就能夠清清楚楚地看到他是如何做到這一點。另一件我十分欣賞的事是教授他耐心地向每一位病人解釋他們的情況和教導他們，減低他們日後受騙的機會。當中的溝通技巧，就恐怕只有透過經驗的累積去培養出來。

 

在西安觀光時，我發覺自己對中國的認識實在是非常不足。令我決心回到香港後，一定要多閱讀有關中國的資料！

 

這次旅程真是令我獲益良多，除了增廣了我的見聞外，我更認識了二十五個好朋友，而且加強了我將來到一些貧苦地方行醫的決心。而當我看到其他參加者都有所得著時，回頭一看，過去半年準備此次旅程時的辛酸，都一掃而空了。