A 24-hour hotline was also set up by The Second Xiangya Hospital in Changsha to help patients experiencing mental problems.

When they deal with patients, doctors and nurses pay special attention to working methods and communication skills. During the diagnosis and treatment process at the makeshift hospital, the medical workers talk with the patients calmly and patiently, to ensure their anxieties are handled properly and are resolved.

Respiratory physician Xiao Kui, who heads a team of 12 doctors, said that when they work back home in Changsha they usually do not have to worry unduly about patients' psychological condition, but the situation at the makeshift hospital is totally different.

With doctors and nurses being extremely short-handed, he looked for people who had remained optimistic amid the outbreak to help organize their fellow patients and offer support. Xiao quickly realized that 37-year-old Cheng Chuchu (alias) was a good candidate for this work.