Source: Guangzhou Daily, 2013-01-16, Page A19
Written by: Ren Shanshan
Translated by: Lin Zhitao

Guangzhou Daily News. Cancer patients are the main target of hospital scalpers, and in particular, new patients from poor areas are frequent victims due to lack of vigilance. At yesterday’s signing ceremony of “Counterpart Assistance Agreements with Eight Hospitals in Five Provinces and Voluntary Service in the Hospital” in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC), the journalist learnt that college student volunteers who wear green uniforms and thus are called “green olive” will assist the hospital to provide patients with guide to prevent them from being deceived by hospital scalpers.

Volunteer teams from ten universities signed agreements with SYSUCC yesterday including South China Normal University, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Xinghai Conservatory of Music and Guangzhou Sport University. After receiving training on medical knowledge, communication skills and protection of patient privacy, these volunteers will offer services such as keeping company with cancer patients, giving free performance, and accompanying sick children to read, make paper cuts and handicrafts.

In 2010, SYSUCC set up the Medical Social Work Department to recruit volunteers and make green uniforms for them. The listed number of volunteers in 2010 was 87 with a cumulative service time of 1,263 hours. In 2012, the number has quadrupled to 376 with 3,684 hours of service. In the future, college student volunteers will work in SYSUCC as a team to improve the quality of voluntary service.