Du Liqun: Nightingale Medal Winner

As part of her more than three decades’ experience as a nurse at Nanning No. 4 Hospital in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， Du Liqun has helped AIDS patients for 15 years. She is now the head nurse of the hospital’s Treatment Department for AIDS and Infectious Hepatitis and has been decorated with a Norman Bethune medal， a national “May 1” medal， a “national model medical worker” medal， a “best nurse” medal and a Florence Nightingale Medal， the world’s top honor for nurses.

All these medals are a testament to Du’s dedication at the forefront of infectious disease prevention and control. Her professional knowledge， rigorous attitude and devotion have made her a master of her area of expertise.

Exemplary Role

Du， a member of the Zhuang ethnic minority group in China， began her career as a nurse at the No. 4 Hospital at age 19 in 1984. In 2002， as Nanning’s hospital specializing in infectious diseases prevention and control， Du’s hospital began preparations for the establishment of an AIDS Treatment Department. The hospital called on doctors and nurses to volunteer to work in the new department. At first， many were reluctant to work in the department.

However， Du was enthusiastic to join. At the beginning of 2005， the AIDS Treatment Department was officially launched. With eight other nurses， Du devoted herself whole-heartedly to the operation of the new department.

In her daily work， Du has set a fine example for other nurses with both her words and actions. In August 2005， a patient with a severe skin disease came under her department’s care. The patient’s skin stank， with blisters all over his body. The young nurses were intimidated. Du was not. She proceeded with caring for the patient until he eventually recovered.

Du’s work performance has set a good example for her team of nurses. Like a magnet， she holds the AIDS nursing team closely together. Over the last 10 years， 15 nurses became pregnant. According to regulations， they could apply for a job transfer during this period. However， none of them did. They all chose to continue in their respective positions， with Du as their leader.

“As the head nurse， Du is more like an older sister，” said Huang Jinping， the outpatient head nurse. “She does the routine ward rounds with other nurses， and often reminds us of measures to protect ourselves from the risk of occupational exposure. I became ill during my pregnancy. Du took very good care of me. She took several night shifts to make sure I got the care I needed. I was so moved.”

Feeling for Others

“AIDS patients are a special group of people，” Du said. “For this group suffering from physical pain， psychological attention can do a lot to help them.”

Du often reminds her colleagues of the importance of their work.

“When the patients come to us， they count on us，” Du tells them. “We cannot give up on them. Nor can we allow them to give themselves up. Treat them and respect them as if they were members of our own family.”

Based on her experience， Du has put forward the nursing theory of “Feeling for Others”， the basic idea of which is to treat every patient in the department as family and take respectful care of them.

AIDS patients suffer from tremendous psychological pressure， which sometimes leads to extreme behavior. Du has always championed strong communication with her patients.

In 2006， a young doctor who was on her ward rounds encountered a patient who became agitated and threatened to kill the doctor with a fruit knife.

“I’m a patient，” he yelled. “I deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.” Du arrived at the ward as others were fleeing. She got very close to the patient and calmly spoke with him. After around an hour， the patient calmed down.

“We have learned a lot from Du’s attitude toward the patients and her style，” Huang explained. In unexpected situations， Du has always had the courage to face problems and deal with them with both sincerity and wisdom.

After 13 years， Du’s nursing team has expanded from eight to 60. It has so far provided high-quality services to more than 10，000 patients.

Public Awareness Campaign

Due to decreased immunity， AIDS patients are susceptible to all kinds of opportunistic infections. Patients depend on infusions of blood to survive， and for nurses， the risk of occupational exposure is real. For better protection， Du has explored new techniques. The venous indwelling needle has been found to be a more effective and safe solution.

Since 2005， as part of efforts to promote public awareness of AIDS and its prevention and control， Du has participated in public awareness campaigns organized by the Red Cross societies in Guangxi and Nanning. At her proposal， her hospital has organized an AIDS prevention mobile clinic， known as “Nightingale Volunteer Nursing Service”， which has visited local communities and villages. Young doctors and nurses from her hospital have participated in the volunteer service.

“We have visited local communities at regular intervals，” Du said. “The volunteers used to mostly be nurses. Now， we are a mixture of doctors and nurses from across the entire hospital.”

Apart from AIDS prevention and control， the volunteers have also informed the public about emergency medical response， which has been very popular with the local residents. In addition， Du has created a social media chat group as a platform to keep in touch with all patients and provide them with round-the-clock service.

Recently， Du was elected as a deputy to the 19th CPC National Congress， which is scheduled to take place in Beijing in October.

“To be a deputy from a grassroots hospital to the CPC National Congress， I feel a great sense of honor， as well as significant responsibility，” Du said. As a medical worker from a minority ethnic group working at the forefront of infectious disease prevention and control， as well as a deputy to the CPC National Congress， Du is determined to continue to play an exemplary role as a Party member and provide her patients with higher quality service.