The epidemic-hit Wuhan has caused concerns to the country, including the whole staff of West China Hospital. To support their peers in Wuhan to fight the epidemic, WCH firstly dispatched medical expert Dr. Qiao Fu, a member of the epidemic prevention group of the international emergency medical team, a senior technician in flu control and prevention, party secretary from the Infection Management Department, to Wuhan on the early morning of January 25, the first day of the Chinese lunar new year. As the first medical expert of Sichuan to aid Wuhan, Dr. Qiao joined with the peers of Central South Hospital, Wuhan, to implement various measures including: disinfection and physical isolation, and individual protection, in an effort to minimize the infection risk within the wards.

On the morning of the same day, as per the arrangement of the Health Commission of Sichuan Province, WCH dispatched a 20-strong medical group led by Prof. Luo Fengming, party secretary and doctoral supervisor of Internal Medicine and Respiratory Medicine, including: 5 physicians, 14 senior nurses, and 1 technicians from Respiratory Medicine & Critical Care Department, ICU, Infectious Disease Center, and Laboratory Medicine, to join the first batch of Sichuan medical group; it also rapidly gathered emergency supplies and equipment for this mission. Quite a few of the team members participated in the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake rescue work; some of them joined medical groups aiding Africa or for the fight against SARS. All of them have rich experience in rescue operation. Hou Taiping, Vice President of Sichuan University, Li Weimin, President of WCH, Zhang Wei, Secretary of Party Committee of WCH along with other leaders saw off the medical expert group. At about 12:00 at noon, they gathered at the Health Commission of Sichuan Province with other medical workers of Sichuan, and started the rescue work upon arrival in Wuhan that evening.

On January 26, the medical group of WCH stationed in Wuhan Red Cross Hospital and joined hands with other members from Sichuan Provincial Fourth People’s Hospital and Sichuan Second Hospital of TCM to set up the New Infectious Disease Unit of West China-Wuhan Hanjiang District Red Cross Hospital. This unit is headed by Prof. Luo Fengming, leader of WCH medical group, together with Yin Wanhong, deputy head, Feng Mei, head nurse and Song Zhifang, deputy head nurse. Located less than two kilometers from the epidemic source South China Seafood Market, Wuhan Hanjiang District Red Cross Hospital has admitted quite a lot of infected patients. The group of WCH is assigned to take charge of a ward for fever patients with 30 beds. Currently it offers diagnosis and treatment services, and has admitted a lot of emergency and severe patients in such a tough mission.