As the International Nurses' Day fell on Wednesday, Liu Xiaodong, a nurse, was still busy working in Ditan Hospital in Beijing, where SARS patients were receiving medical treatment.

When asked if she knew the day was her festival, Liu said with a smile, "Yes, but I have no time to celebrate it or go home because I am taking care of the SARS patients."

Including Liu, 46 nurses have come to look after the SARS patients since the quarantine wards were set up on April 22.

Recalling the evacuation of the wards on that day, chief nurse Chen Zheng said his staff were "marvelously quick" in moving out 124 patients to other areas or hospitals in only half a day. Thirty-two doctors and nurses got ready and began working four shifts a day.

Some patients were in critical condition in the first week, which made them feel stressed, said Liu, who with her colleagues once took care of a fat male patient who needed help turning over and was spitting up every two hours.

To date, two SARS patients are still in the hospital while the other five have been discharged. The number of nurses has dropped to 24.

"We are so happy to see more and more patients are recovering and leaving hospital," Liu said. "It really is the best gift for us on the International Nurses' Day."

(Xinhua News  Agency  May 13, 2004)