Sichuan Post-Disaster Reconstruction Support & Research Center At 14:28 on May 12, 2008, a magnitude 8 earthquake took place in Wenchuan County, Aba Prefecture and brought heavy casualties and property losses to Sichuan province. After the earthquake, all social circles provided help to Sichuan earthquake relief efforts with great and generous support and assistance. Institutions of higher education, especially those research-oriented comprehensive universities deployed by the state in west China, are more aware of their social responsibilities and historical mission when confronted with such historical tragedy and shall give full play to their three major functions i.e. talent training, scientific research and social service and become the bases for local scientific innovation and human resource development to play their due roles for local economic and social development. It was just based on this consensus that Sichuan University and Hong Kong Polytechnic University jointly established the Sichuan Post-Disaster Reconstruction Support & Research Center on June 20, 2008 to help people in disaster-stricken areas to recover physically and psychologically and rebuild their homes.
The center has set up an administration committee to be responsible for programming and promoting all work. The administration committee appoints chairman, vice chairman and several commissioners. Under the committee are four action teams responsible for medical service, social service, construction & engineering technology and economic reconstruction respectively.
The center as a cooperation platform can mobilize and integrate talents in different disciplinary fields in the two universities to engage in cross-disciplinary scientific research, personnel training and social service and will eventually be able to provide real-time high level supportive services to disaster-stricken areas to assist them in long-term community reconstruction.
The work of the center covers the following three major aspects:
1. Comprehensive rehabilitation and nursing services, including artificial limbs, orthopaedics, rehabilitation treatment and nursing.
2. Psychological counseling and community reconstruction, including psychological consultation, clinical support for children and families and community capacity building.
3. Construction management and engineering science and technology, including renewable energies, water conservancy and environmental projects, rock-soil and structural engineering, construction management and quality management, and geodynamics.
With the concerted efforts of the two universities, the center will give full play to the competitive resources of each university to give suggestions for reconstruction in disaster-stricken areas and facilitate the people there to rebuild their homes and resume production earlier.
The open ceremony of Sichuan Post- Disaster Reconstruction Support and Research Centre on June 20, 2008
Physical therapy and Occupational therapy support and Training Plan of the post-disaster reconstruction support and research center
——cooperated by Sichuan University and Hong Kong Polytechnic University
5.12 Wenchuan earthquake had not only caused huge economic damage to the society, but also left behind a large number of wounded people needed follow-up rehabilitation, enabling them to live independently, return to the family and society. However, the lack of rehabilitation staff is the enormous difficulties faced by follow-up rehabilitation. In order to solve this problem, the Western China Hospital of Sichuan University and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University work together to support it. The leader of the project is He Cheng-qi, Yang Yong-hong in charge of Occupational therapy of the project, Yu Peng-ming in charge of Physical therapy, and meanwhile, the project is funded 6.105 million Hong Kong dollars. The project will last for 3 years(2009-2012),and the main theme is to develop 15 occupational therapists and 25 coronary–pulmonary therapists according to WFOT and WCPT standards, to assist the department of rehabilitation of Western China to establish professional teaching admitted by the world, to culture teachers for clinical teaching of rehabilitation, and to build lasting communication and cooperation between Sichuan university and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, So as to improve Chinese rehabilitation level to the worldwide standards.
