Many PLA medics have also been fighting on the frontlines of the pandemic saving lives, while risking their own health. Our reporter Li Jianhua has the story of one PLA doctor who helped save dozens of lives in Wuhan when the coronavirus epidemic first broke out. 

It's Lu Zhijie's regular routine before each surgical operation, consulting the patient about their condition and previous operations, and soothing their anxiety before rolling them onto the operating table.

LU ZHIJIE Director, Department of Anesthesiology The Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University "I need to check in on my patient and inform his family of what might happen, so they are well-prepared. This is essential before practicing anesthesia."

As an anesthesiologist, Lu operates on four to eight patients each day, with permission, we are allowed to film him going about his daily work in the operating theater.

LU ZHIJIE Director, Department of Anesthesiology The Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University "His condition is stable. Blood pressure and heart rate are within normal ranges."

The next step is intubation to make sure patients can "breathe" during surgery. Lu's work played a key role in treating patients severely ill from the coronavirus in Wuhan – once the epicenter of the outbreak.

LU ZHIJIE Director, Department of Anesthesiology The Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University "Actually, my job in Wuhan was quite useful. I was not in the first batch of doctors sent to Wuhan, and I felt obliged to go. So I reported to my seniors, requesting to go, as my job can be very useful there. They agreed to send me in the second batch. I brought with me some intubation equipment, which proved to be very helpful."

Working in Wuhan for nearly two months treating about 30 patients in serious or critical condition, Lu describes the experience as "heart wrenching" from the beginning.

LU ZHIJIE Director of Department of Anesthesiology The Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University "These patients were all carriers of the coronavirus. When applying intubation, we had to be very close to them, about ten centimeters, which exposed us to the virus. These are the challenges we were faced with. But during the operation, we didn't think that much."

Having returned to his regular life, part of Lu's job has been training students wanting to be just like him. And though Lu is a doctor, first and foremost he says he's a soldier who's ready to make sacrifices anytime.

LI JIANHUA, CGTN, SHANGHAI.