China Steps up Support for Women Medical Workers Fighting Epidemic

BEIJING, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) — China has stepped up efforts to provide support for women medical workers fighting the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), including offering them sanitary products, psychological counseling and help for their families.

The China Women's Development Foundation, which is under the All-China Women's Federation, has raised 2.25 million yuan (about 320,000 U.S. dollars) to support women medical workers at the frontline of the virus fight, including sanitary products and funds for purchasing adult diapers.

The women's federation of Shanghai raised nearly 2 million yuan worth of sanitary products and funds within one day. Women entrepreneurs in Guangdong Province have donated over 1,600 boxes of diapers for adults to the province's women medical workers who are helping in Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak.

Given that some medical workers at the frontline have developed psychological symptoms such as anxiety and fear due to high work pressure, women's federations across the country have cooperated with professionals to provide psychological counseling.

Data shows the hotline of the women's federation system has received over 1,000 phone calls each day since the beginning of the outbreak, around 70 percent of which are about psychological counseling.

Local women's federations have also contacted families of medical workers who are helping in Hubei, providing them with daily necessities and psychological comfort.

They have also been organizing teachers to provide online education for children of these medical workers and set up online chat groups to read books for young children.

(Source: Xinhua)