Jiading medical team travel thousands of kilometers to restore Tibetans’ sight
Print Edition
DOCTORS from Jiading District treated 233 patients and helped 25 patients with cataracts to regain their sight after a week of operations in Jiuzhi County, which is 2,300 kilometers away from Shanghai, in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of China’s Northwestern Qinghai Province.
On August 4, 21 doctors and nurses from Ruijin Hospital North Branch, Jiading District Central Hospital and Nanxiang Hospital arrived in Jiuzhi after a journey of more than 10 hours by plane and bus, with 27 boxes of medical instruments and other items.
Residents of Jiuzhi, which is 3,800 meters above the sea level, have a high incidence of eye disease due to strong ultraviolet rays.
When arriving at the Jiuhuang Airport, a Tibetan driver immediately recognized three familiar faces and shouted: “Welcome back home!” The three were doctors Dong Liqun, Chen Yan and Yang Yanfang.
Familiar faces
On June 7, they were in the county to make preparations for the fourth visit by a medical team from Jiading. They were shocked to know the area is in serious need of doctors, and that a 13-year-old girl with congenital cataracts eventually lost the sight in her left eye because she had missed the best time for treatment.
Without any hesitation, they decided to return to the plateau to help patients with eye problems.
The medical team started operation on August 5.
A 72-year-old Tibetan was sitting on the doorstep of Jiuzhi People’s Hospital at 6am when the sun was coming up. “I came to see doctors from Shanghai. They are good at operations and last year my fellow villagers received treatment and they recovered well now,” he said.
In two days, 25 patients regained their sight. The team spent more than 20 hours in operation rooms.
At 4:30pm on August 7, Dr Dong finished the last operation and was about to take off his gown and leave the operation room.
Last patient
“There is one more patient,” a nurse said. A 78-year-old Tibetan woman had ridden a horse for six hours to the nearest village to catch a bus to Jiuzhi. Dong got back to work. The operation was a success.
The team left equipment and surgical materials valued at 700,000 yuan (US$114,800) to Jiuzhi People’s Hospital. The hospital also set up a remote medical treatment link with Ruijin Hospital North Branch.
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