"She can better comfort other patients because she is a patient herself," Xiao said. "I am glad that the patients in the East Inpatient Area (where the Xiangya team works) are all mentally stable, which is also good for their recovery."

The Xiangya team comprises 42 members－12 doctors, 11 nurses, six pharmacists and technicians, and 13 drivers and engineers from The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University.

This team and four others from Beijing, Shanghai, Fujian and Liaoning provinces run the makeshift hospital with teams from five local medical institutions.

Patients who recover are discharged from the hospital if they are given the all-clear after a series of tests.

Xu, the hospital vice-president, said:"We have helped improve conditions in the wards and have given patients standardized medical treatment and psychological support. We have also been optimizing the work flow and are making the makeshift hospital operate more like a regular one."

The first 28 patients from the hospital, including Cheng, were discharged on Feb 11. Having been treated for five days, she was the first to leave for home.

"The makeshift hospital was comparatively shabby when I first came here. We were unclear about our health status, so we were initially all very stressed and depressed. I am an optimistic person, but I also felt panic and shed tears secretly in the restroom," Cheng said.

She soon changed her mindset and began offering support to others, while facilities available at the hospital were greatly improved. Before Cheng left, she listed her experiences during the five days: sharing with other patients; cooperating with doctors and nurses; cheering yourself up and those around you; and drinking 5 liters of water a day.

"I want to thank the country's top medical team from The Second Xiangya Hospital who have come to help us in Wuhan. Not only have they given us excellent physical treatment but also comprehensive psychological counseling," Cheng said.

The Xiangya medical school and its hospitals, with a history of more than a century, have helped shape the development of Western medicine in China.

Since the epidemic broke out, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University has sent 177 medical workers to Wuhan and a total of 500 staff members from the three Xiangya hospitals have arrived in the city.

Liu Jin, 26, a nurse caring for patients with psychological problems, is one of the Xiangya emergency team. "One of the obstacles to patients' treatment is that many of them have a strong sense of guilt. They are worried that they may have infected their family members and those around them," he said.