Moving hospital travels to remote areas in Xinjiang

A moving hospital built from a reclaimed six-carriage train departed from Urumqi, Xinjiang's regional capital, late Tuesday to provide medical services for those working in remote areas.

The train is equipped with advanced medical instruments including an automatic biochemical analyzer, automatic urine analyzer, B-ultrasound examination room, electrocardiogram examination room and bone mineral density and carbon 13 examination room, according to Xia Yu, deputy director of the Institute of Disease Control and Prevention, China Railway Urumqi Group.

"The onboard equipment is carefully designed to conduct full physical examinations and results can be available the same day," said Xia.

During the three-month service, the train will travel across Xinjiang and visit a dozen stations including Turpan, Alashankou, Horgos, Aksu, Kashgar and Hotan to offer health check-ups for railroad employees working in remote areas that often have limited access to medical resources.

A total of 40 medical personnel are on board the train, who can conduct physical examinations for 150 people a day. The service is estimated to cover 10,000 people this year. Nearly 60,000 people are working at railway stations across Xinjiang.