Li Jianwei (R) took a photo in front of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. [Photo provided to Zhongshan Daily]

A meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic was held in Beijing, capital of China, on September 8. Li Jianwei, director of the Department of Critical Care Medicine of Zhongshan People's Hospital, won the title of Outstanding Individual in the conference. The ECMO team for Emergency and Severe Diseases from Zhongshan People's Hospital won the title of the Outstanding Unit in the national COVID-19 response.

In early 2020, Li Jianwei immediately volunteered to support Hubei when COVID-19 broke out. Because of his rich experience in fighting against various epidemics such as SARS and avian flu, Zhongshan decided to keep him in Zhongshan to set up an expert team for critical care of COVID-19 cases of Zhongshan, and he served as the team leader. He quickly organized the team and devoted himself to the treatment of critical patients with COVID-19.

The ECMO team from Zhongshan People's Hospital participated in the treatment of patients with COVID-19 in February and set a precedent for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 with ECMO in Guangdong. An ECMO team was set up to support Jingzhou in Hubei Province. The team was called "the warriors who fight against death" by CCTV.