On the other hand, if the workers and employees in Chinese urban areas have insurance, farmers and herdsmen remain far behind. With a system that was launched in 2003 for a trial period, the central and regional governments pay basic medical insurance for each farmer. The birth insurance covers all expenses for the workers who have subscribed, and part of the fees cover the independent rural workers. In Xinjiang, 40 counties, including Fuhai, are covered by the new system, according to Jiang'er.
The gynecologist doesn't stay in her hospital; she goes around on inspections and on education campaigns, and she teaches preventive medicine to the Kazak nomads.
Her husband, who was a driver, is now retired. Jiang'er, aged 54, still has six years to go before her retirement; very busy at present, she has not yet planned how she will use her time. "We will see later," she added. The gynecologist says that few young people want to become doctors today. "The pressure is too strong, although the wages are reasonable," she explained. Jiang'er works eight hours a day. Doctors spend the weekend at the hospital on turn and have no annual holidays. What makes her more uncomfortable is that the centre is too small. "All the services are concentrated on 520 sq m, which is inhumane. In the sole gynecological department, we are five! We monitor women during their pregnancy and, when they are ready to deliver, we send them to the hospital. Then we follow up on the mother for one or two weeks and the child for up to six months."
From what do Kazak women suffer? "High blood pressure and anemia mostly, due to their diet. Our people are still nomads, at least partially. From May to October, herdsmen leave with the livestock and, during that period, they don't eat vegetables and fruit. We strongly advise pregnant women against adhering to the nomadic life."
From 2001 to 2004, the mortality rate of parturient mothers and newborns has been zero in Fuhai. In 2005 and 2006, there was only one death per year and that was due to the mother's heart failure. Such a remarkable record can be attributed to the improvement of maternal care and to a massive campaign for perinatal care through the management of pregnancy by updating individual files, having pre-delivery checkups, delivering in the hospital rather than at home, and conducting post-delivery visits in the home, without forgetting Jiang'er's efforts, which have been acknowledged by a series of awards. For instance, in 2006, she was one of the country's Ten Elite Women ("San Ba Hongqi Shou" in Chinese). Back in 1995, she was elected as a Model Worker – an honor rewarded by a one-week stay in the national capital. She also has an indelible memory of meeting President Hu Jintao, and it is precisely this event that she mentioned when I asked her to describe the greatest happiness in her life.
We compare traditions associated with birth for the Kazak and Italian people. "In the past, families preferred boys, but society has evolved. They even prefer not to have too many boys and have some girls, because if they have too many boys, they will not be able to marry all of them. A wedding costs too much. Providing a house for the young couple is the responsibility of the groom's family, as well as offering gifts to the bride's family members, which include grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts, cousins, brothers, and sisters."
Some of the boys that Jiang'er had helped to deliver still visit her, and some ask her to assist their wives in delivery. In Kazak language, Jiang'er is called "mother who cuts the umbilical cord." In Italy as well, the levatrice is a very important person, a family member in a way. But, contrary to Italian and Han Chinese, for the Muslims, only the mother may breastfeed her baby; they have no "wet nurse."
We then took a look at the garden. Jiang'er's husband accompanied us. He showed me the apricot trees, and indicated which vine produced the best grape. Upon seeing the zucchini flowers, I asked Jiang'er how she cooked them. She had never heard that zucchini flowers were edible, so I explained how to prepare this exquisite Italian dish.
When she is not at the hospital, Jiang'er does house chores, visits relatives and friends, and watches TV, but only the news programs. She had not mentioned reading until I brought it up. As I showed interest in the stones on the windowsill, Jiang'er lit up: she collects them. Sports are not included in her interests.
During our afternoon stroll to the lake – what can I say! – to the Ulungur "sea", she told me that she used to knit before but she stopped long ago. Upon smelling the roasting fish aroma, she added that she liked to cook. Suddenly, she stopped at a souvenir stand and chose a jade pendant with a red silk thread, which is the Chinese way of wearing it. "For you to remember Fuhai," she said, placing it around my neck.
Jiang'er speaks Kazak and Chinese and has not gone abroad. "Haven't you thought about visiting Kazakhstan? Don't you consider it your ancestors' country?" After a thoughtful pause, she answered: "I never thought of that. I am Chinese." She did only one trip worthy of this name. "In 2006, I was invited by the Ministry of Health to take part in a two-month trip. We visited Beijing, Shanghai, Ningxia, etc."
Discreet and generous, Jiang'er, upon hearing that I would stay in my hotel room without eating and that I would work all evening, personally delivered a "family size" bag of peaches, bananas, and plums. Readers, if you see some spots on this page, it is probably the juice from all the wonderful fruit.
(Source: Foreign Languages Press)
