For a decade, teams of medical professionals from across China have committed themselves to serving people in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, bringing steadfast health protection to those who call the plateau home and uplifting local medical service ability.
In mid-July this year, the latest batch of doctors for medical aid to Xizang arrived in the autonomous region to begin their assignments. Among them was Zhang Conglin, an orthopedic specialist from the coastal city of Quanzhou of east China's Fujian Province.
On his second day at the People's Hospital of Lhorong County in Qamdo, a city in the eastern part of Xizang, Zhang was called in for an emergency treatment. The emergency call revealed weaknesses in the local medical staff's ability to respond to critical situations. In the days that followed, Zhang organized several emergency drills to improve readiness of local medics.
"We're drilling to be prepared for real conditions. When a patient with a severe open fracture comes in, we won't panic," said Zhang.
One of the hospital's key missions is to reduce the impact of Kashin-Beck disease, a severe deformity of joints with unknown causes that causes joint pain, joint deformity, and even disability.
People in the Lhorong County have suffered severely from the disease. Thanks to the devotion of the medical aid teams, more patients there are receiving timely treatment and regaining mobility.
Chaggar, a 52-year-old villager, had suffered from knee pain for five years. Traditional therapies like fire treatment and painkillers had stopped working. After the arrival of the medical team, Zhang, leading local doctors, performed a knee replacement surgery for him. Chaggar was discharged from the hospital the following day.
"The policy of our country is really good. It is totally free. The doctors that are helping us here are highly skilled. They did a surgery for me, and I could get out of bed and walk the next day. I'm really grateful," said Chaggar.
Since August last year when eight doctors from Quanzhou stationed at the People's Hospital of Lhorong County, they have helped establish five emergency centers, including one for critical maternal care, founded a Kashin-Beck disease treatment center, and performed 176 joint surgeries, allowing patients to avoid five-hour journeys to Qamdo for joint treatment.
"We've also trained local doctors. What we did in the past was 'blood transfusion.' Now we are making 'new blood.' Today, local doctors can basically carry out operations by their own," said Gao Yipeng, the team leader of the medical aid group from Quanzhou.
Launched in 2015, China's medical aid program has brought thousands of healthcare professionals to Xizang over the past decade. The initiative has not only raised medical standards across the region, but also delivered tangible health benefits to local residents, reshaping the healthcare landscape of the snow-capped plateau.
Medical aid teams help guard over health of people in Xizang
Medical aid teams help guard over health of people in Xizang
