An online conference between The Christie Hospital and Hubei Cancer Hospital to combat Covid-19 by UK-Medu

Manchester and Wuhan are sister cities for over 30 years. They have worked together and established good connections over the years. Wuhan was the first city to be affected by Covid19, which later spread all over the world. While the situation is under control in Wuhan, the pandemic resumes in the UK. UK-Medu and Manchester China Forum took this opportunity to host an online conference with the support of Qilu Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd from 9:00-1030 (Beijing Time 16:00-17:30) on 12th May 2020 between The Christie Hospital and Hubei Cancer Hospital. Over 68 experts and related staff participated in the conference to share their experiences to help combat the pandemic.

The Christie Hospital is the largest medical and research centre of tumour treatment in the UK, while the Hubei Cancer Hospital is the best cancer specialist hospital in Wuhan. The main aim for the conference is to discuss the care plan for cancer patients during this pandemic. The conference was led by 3 experts from Hubei Cancer Hospital. They described the policies they adapted which involve temperature checking, chest CT, Covid-19 Antibody test, chemotherapy, immunosuppressant treatment, surgeries etc. The experts also shared the steps they took to prevent healthcare associated infection. The 12 experts from The Christie Hospital were also able to express their concerns about managing their number of patients, disinfecting the surgery suites, demand on protective gears etc. The conference was scheduled to be for one and a half hours, but it was extended to two hours due to the intense discussions.

Dr. Wendy Makin, Executive Medical Director of The Christie Hospital believes that the conference is very helpful and hopes that these exchanges will continue. Mr. Rhys Whalley, Executive Director of Manchester China Forum expressed his gratitude towards UK-Medu for their effort in organizing this fruitful event. The conference concluded with Mr. Kevin Liu, director of UK-Medu giving his thanks to Hubei Cancer Hospital and The Christie Hospital for participating in the conference. Although we have different cultural backgrounds, the pandemic has brought us together with the aim to combat the virus. After the pandemic, UKMedu hopes to provide assistance to arrange exchange visits for the hospitals.

Conference in progress