CHANGSHA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Doctors supporting Wuhan's Tongji Hospital from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in central China's Hunan Province have volunteered to provide online consultations for overseas Chinese through WeChat groups.

Eight doctors have created 19 WeChat groups for overseas Chinese in 16 countries including Italy, Iran, Japan, Sweden and the United States. Nearly 10,000 overseas Chinese, including students studying abroad, have joined the groups.

Despite the time difference, the doctors have been providing online consultation services for overseas Chinese, guiding them to carry out proper self-protection measures and home isolation as well as providing them with psychological counseling services.

"In addition to effective prevention measures, many also ask questions about certain physical symptoms they have," said Zhang Leiyi, one of the doctors who established the groups.

It turned out that some of those with questions about their physical symptoms are simply nervous, and most of them are not suspected or confirmed patients. Through the online guidance on daily protection measures, and psychological counseling, their mood has been calmed.

"Thank you for answering all the questions and sharing professional knowledge and experience on fighting coronavirus," said a user in one of the WeChat groups.

The doctors have also arranged frequently asked questions into a document and some short articles, so as to help overseas Chinese better understand coronavirus and protect themselves. The team also plans to set up WeChat groups in other affected countries to share China's experience in fighting coronavirus and help more overseas Chinese.