Ma Qunying, a volunteer doctor at a county-level hospital in southwest China's Sichuan Province, recently managed to save a newborn child suffering from severe breathing problems with a makeshift respirator she created.

The baby had a respiratory dysfunction due to being born prematurely, on March 17 in Gumei County.

While emergency care was desperately needed, the hospital was unequipped with the necessary machine to help. The transfer to another hospital was unfeasible, as it was five or six hours drive away along bumpy roads.

Under such urgent circumstances, it occurred to Ma that she might make a substitute device by herself. After calling an experienced pediatrician at her own hospital in the city of Zigong, she got a hand-drawn structural diagram of a simplified respirator.

Referring to the picture on her mobile phone, Ma successfully created a piece of equipment after some 10 minutes. Testing the device on herself and ensuring its good function, she immediately used it on the sick infant.

To the delight of all, the respirator worked and the young patient got much better within five minutes.

Seeing the kid remain in a stable condition with smooth breath, Ma finally left to have a break, after a day of urgent work.

The next day, she volunteered to teach all doctors and nurses in the county hospital to make such a breathing support device, in case of any similar emergency situations in future.

Doctors in Gumei People's Hospital learn to make a substitute respirator. [Chengdu Economic Daily]

The baby remains in stable condition thanks to Ma's makeshift respirator. [Chengdu Economic Daily]

The structural diagram Ma referred to in making the respirator [Chengdu Economic Daily]

(Source: Chengdu Economic Daily/Translated and edited by Women of China)

Editor: Eileen Cheng