Qing Tian's Story: Standing with Shanghai as a Community Health Ambassador

On April 17, the 48th day after the outbreak of the current epidemic wave in Shanghai, Qingtian (a pseudonym) decided to apply to become a “Community Health Ambassador,” aiming to help neighbors address medical consultation and medication needs, and to light up a “lamp of love” for Shanghai amid the pandemic and her own lockdown residential compound.

Qingtian lives in Putuo District, Shanghai, and is a patient with thyroid disease. During the prolonged pandemic lockdowns, Qingtian and many other patients with severe chronic conditions bore a heavy burden of anxiety that healthy individuals could hardly comprehend.

“Medication is like meals; it must not be skipped for a single day.”

During the more than 20 days after the residential community entered lockdown due to the pandemic, Qingtian and her neighbors, who also suffer from severe chronic diseases, faced a shortage of medications. They had to frequently attempt to purchase drugs through various platforms, but amid tight capacity for guaranteed supply deliveries, they were notified of extended waiting periods for medication delivery, causing significant anxiety.

Qingtian said, “My neighbor has the same condition as I do. She placed an order on an online pharmacy platform a week ago, but still hasn’t received her medication.”

This is the predicament currently faced by many patients with severe chronic diseases in Shanghai. Qingtian and fellow patients encourage one another and share information about medications and purchasing channels; however, the issue of excessively long medication delivery times urgently needs to be resolved. Some patients have “hopped” between multiple online platforms yet still failed to receive their medications within the required timeframe.

The turning point came on April 15.

Qingtian saw on her WeChat Moments that the “Shanghai Medical Insurance Emergency Drug Platform” has been fully launched, making every effort to ensure emergency medical access and medication for patients with severe chronic conditions in Shanghai. What she found particularly meaningful was that Shanghai residents can sign up to become “Community Health Ambassadors” for the emergency platform, collecting and consolidating neighbors’ urgent medication needs, providing them with online consultation channels and information on emergency drug distribution, thereby bridging the “last 100 meters” to deliver medications into lockdown residential compounds.

Qingtian signed up immediately. After passing qualification reviews and completing urgent online training, she became a volunteer “Medication Coordinator” within her community’s closed-loop management system, joining the ranks of over 1,000 “Community Health Ambassadors.” For her, the top priority is to ensure that neighbors have access to “life-saving medications.”

Recruitment of Community Health Ambassadors for Shanghai’s Emergency Platform for Medically Reimbursable Drugs

After becoming a “Community Health Ambassador,” the first thing Qingtian did was to try online consultation and place an order for medication on the “Shanghai Medical Insurance Emergency Drug Platform.”

“Shanghai’s delivery capacity is currently very strained. But can the emergency platform actually secure medications? Can it ensure timely delivery? To be honest, I have my doubts. I need to test it myself first to confirm that deliveries arrive on time before recommending it to more neighbors in my community and providing services to them.”

On April 18 at 12:35, Qingtian successfully obtained a prescription refill and placed an order for her daily medication, levothyroxine sodium tablets, through the emergency platform’s dedicated channel for continuous prescriptions for severe chronic diseases. On the afternoon of April 20, the medication was delivered to her as scheduled by the emergency platform’s delivery personnel.

Within 48 hours, receive medications delivered by the Shanghai Medical Insurance Emergency Drug Platform on sunny days.

She was not even able to thank them in person; during the medicine delivery and pickup process, Qing Tian could only exchange greetings remotely with the delivery personnel. After receiving the medication, Qing Tian, as a patient, also received a follow-up call from the emergency platform to confirm whether she had obtained the drugs in a timely manner.

“No registration fees, no delivery charges—I was able to purchase urgently needed medication in a timely manner. My gratitude goes to the platform staff and delivery personnel who work tirelessly behind the scenes; please also ensure you take proper protective measures and look after your health,” said Qingtian. “Receiving that phone call truly warmed my heart, making me feel the warmth of societal care.”

Now, as a “Community Health Ambassador,” Qingtian has begun providing services to more neighbors with severe chronic diseases, deepening her sense of warmth and gratitude: helping more people like herself, just as those who helped her once did. Qingtian said, “I will do my best to help neighbors in urgent need of medication quickly find the right doctors, purchase their medicines, and receive them.”