Photo taken on Aug. 13, 2020 shows the construction site of the China-aided Mahosot General Hospital project in downtown Vientiane, capital of Laos. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)
by Zhang Jianhua, Chanthaphaphone Mixayboua
VIENTIANE, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Having video calls with his pregnant wife in Beijing everyday after lunch or before bed at night, Wei Mengmeng, a 30-year-old Chinese engineer working in Lao capital Vientiane, felt deeply sorry that he could not take care of his wife in her hour of need.
"I hope I could stay by my wife's side and try to share some of her difficulties during pregnancy, even if I can just take a glass of water for her."
At the beginning of 2020, Wei, a project manager of Beijing Uni-Construction Group Co., Ltd. (BUCC), came to Laos to undertake the preparation work for the construction of the China-aided Mahosot General Hospital project in the Lao capital.
Like many other Chinese engineers working overseas, Wei was not able to go home and celebrate the Chinese new year with his family in January. And then the subsequent COVID-19 outbreak caught him completely off guard.
The epidemic blocked Wei's colleagues from travelling to Laos, so he had to stay and confront various challenges in a foreign country by himself.
Wei's colleagues did not come to Laos until the end of June. Upon the arrival of his colleagues, Wei had many reasons to ask for a leave to go back to Beijing but he chose to stay with his colleagues. "I made the project drawings and I am the one most familiar with the construction site," he said.
Stay in the construction site means he will have to miss the special moment of the birth of his first child. "Next year's Spring Festival (Chinese new year) will be the earliest time when I can go back to Beijing. By then my child will be more than four months old," the Chinese engineer told Xinhua recently.
According to the project chief Han Xu, the China-aided Mahosot General Hospital will become the largest and most advanced hospital in Laos upon completion.
The project includes the expansion of the existing Mahosot Hospital and the building of new medical facilities, providing a new 600-bed large-scale general hospital with a construction area of approximately 54,000 square meters.
As a landmark project in China-Laos cooperation in the sector of public health, the new hospital is expected to be put into operation in 2021.
The construction of the hospital began in December 2018. At present, the main buildings are taking shape, becoming eye-catching in the downtown of Vientiane.
"Our BUCC builders, having the trust of the motherland and cherishing the expectation of the Lao people, have been working hard so as to ensure the progress and the quality of the construction," Xin Qixing, a BUCC project manager told Xinhua.
According to Xin, spending 36 months in the narrow and small construction area to build a modern hospital of over 50,000 square meters is not an easy job. The BUCC engineers work long hours so as to complete the construction on time.
The weather remained hot and humid in Vientiane through the year. The temperature on the construction site could reach 45 Celsius. Braving the extreme weather, the Chinese management staff stayed at work at the front line.
Fifty-two-year-old production manager Wang Haijun, suffering from chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure, has experienced syncope symptoms several times due to low blood sugar, but he still performs his duty of patrolling the work site every day.
Inspired by their Chinese counterparts, the Lao staff have also spared no efforts in doing their part.
Thitxai Tamong, the youngest staff in the project who is from central Laos' hilly Vientiane Province, is responsible for administrative and logistical support. When the first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Laos, it was near the country's New Year holidays.
His family and friends all hoped that he could go back to spend the holidays with them. However, knowing that social distancing is key to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and considering the progress of the construction, Thitxai decided to stay in the construction site.
"This hospital is constructed with high and modern standards and will be equipped with high-quality medical equipment. We Lao people pin hopes on it," Thitxai told Xinhua.
"Our Chinese friends come to build the hospital for us, and I am very proud to be able to participate in it. The Chinese engineers' efforts touched my heart and I just want to say that we are grateful to China and the Chinese builders."
While advancing the construction work in an orderly manner, the BUCC has always attached great importance to the prevention of COVID-19 by strictly implementing the precautious measures at the construction site and ensuring the safety and health of all staff.
"This hospital is designed with the highest standards. Our goal is to build it into a high-quality project to create welfare for the Lao people," said Wang Zhigang, the project technical team leader. Enditem
