Signs of time as deaf & mute get hospital priority

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March 15, 2019

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Signs of time as deaf & mute get hospital priority

Source: Xinhua | 07:08 UTC+8 March 15, 2019 |

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You Tianxiu, a deaf and mute woman, attempted suicide twice last month, once by taking pesticide and the other time by jumping into a river. Fortunately, her family was there to save her.

You, 33, a native of east China’s Jiangxi Province, developed postpartum depression and was in severe distress due to her disabilities.

“She got irritated whenever she saw her baby, and she even tried to suffocate her,” You’s husband Zhou Huiyun, also deaf and mute, said in sign language. “The family asked her to calm down, but she was thinking about taking her own life.”

Zhou said deaf and mute people cannot communicate like other “normal people,” and that when they have psychological problems, they usually hide it inside instead of seeking medical help, which only exacerbates their problems.

To better suit the needs of people like You and her husband, Chinese hospitals are beginning to offer sign language services.

Bypass long queues

In February, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University launched a sign language registration system, allowing disabled patients to bypass long queues. The hospital exempts the patients from their registration fees and volunteers act as interpreters for them. It is the first hospital in Jiangxi to offer sign language services. Similar services have been launched in central Henan Province and Shanghai.

After the program was launched, You was admitted to the hospital in the provincial capital Nanchang.

Yang Mingzhi, a volunteer with more than 40 years of experience in sign language interpretation, received You and her husband. Yang helped the couple register and took them through the examination.

With Yang’s help, Dr Hu Feihu managed to treat You’s depression. The doctor gave You medicine to soothe her emotions and communicated with her family. “It takes more time to treat deaf and mute patients, but the process is quite meaningful,” Hu said.

You’s husband Zhou said that after two weeks of treatment, his wife is feeling much better.

“Before, she couldn’t sleep well, nor did she feel like eating,” Zhou said in sign language. “We are very grateful to the doctor and volunteers.”

Yang said the hospital only expects to receive five deaf and mute people every Friday, but each time, more people show up. “Sometimes there are 20 patients,” said Yang, 58. “Some even come from neighboring provinces.”

It takes tremendous courage for the patients to seek medical help in hospitals, according to You’s husband. “Most deaf and mute people keep their discomfort to themselves until they can’t take it anymore, as we can’t read or write, which makes it hard for us to communicate with doctors,” Zhou said.

According to Yang, many deaf and mute people are scared to go to hospital for fear of improper communication.

“I remember a patient who suffered from stomach trouble but did not dare to see the doctor,” Yang recalled. “The patient finally came after our hospital launched the sign language program, and was later diagnosed with severe erosive esophagitis.”

According to a 2018 report, China has more than 85 million people with disabilities, including 20 million deaf and mute.

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Signs of time as deaf & mute get hospital priority

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