The first COVID-19 case in Morocco was confirmed on March 2. On April 14 the number increased to 28 – that was the day when I left Morocco for Kenya to support the PMLS products clinical application evaluation at Aga Khan Hospital. As soon as I arrived in Nairobi on April 15, Morocco suspended all international flights to limit the spread of COVID-19. To make the matter worse, immediately after the news, Kenya also suspended all international flights.
This decisive government action greatly changed my original plans. I had to extend my stay in Kenya with no exact return date. Meanwhile, worries and fears kept troubling me day and night.
After a thorough communication with my family and my colleagues from Morocco and Mindray HQ, I quickly adjusted my mindset – I should take end-users as my priority, however critical the situation would be. Of course, the current circumstances, such as strict temperature check, frequent hand sanitizing, restricted customer visits, etc. were far from my everyday working life.
I spent a whole week at Aga Khan Hospital, meeting the medical experts, introducing the advanced features of Mindray patient monitoring, and taking clinical trials on real patients inside the OR. The hospital appreciated my effort and became much more interested in Mindray’s PMLS total solutions. Our PMLS solutions redefine the workflows of different clinical scenarios through the interconnectivity of devices and data to offer seamless care in a patient-centric approach. Especially during the epidemic, our solutions could reduce the risk of infection caused by direct contact, which would better support and protect the doctors. After visiting Aga Khan Hospital, I continued meeting local partners, conducting product sales and application training, analyzing PMLS market and competitors and empowering Mindray’s PMLS team in Kenya.
At the same time, I still remotely supported PMLS partners of Africa’s French-speaking countries. I cooperated with the chairman of Morocco Anesthesia Association and organized a webinar on COVID-19 treatment with over 4000 participants, and held online application training for PMLS partners in related regions.
Everything has two sides. COVID-19 held me up in Kenya, but I found my way to achieve beyond the original plans. This trip helped me better understand what “Health care within reach” means and it’s going to be a memorable experience for my whole life. I will never forget my 28th birthday when my Kenya colleague celebrated it for me in this unusual situation. Many thanks to all the support from the Mindray family, and God bless Africa!
