Aid-Tibet doctors make major progress in healing

The Aid-Tibet medical aid program in the Tibet autonomous region has achieved great things since it was launched in 2015. Nearly 400 severe diseases now can be treated in the region's hospitals without traveling out of the region to seek medical help.

Since the launch of Aid-Tibet in 2015, the program has helped to save thousands of lives and has trained many local medical professionals.

According to the region's health commission, thanks to the leadership of eight major hospitals in Beijing and the guidance of 65 top hospitals from around China, Tibet's seven key hospitals have seen great leaps in development.

According to the region's health commission, over the past five years the Aid-Tibet medical program has helped more than 2,000 local medics, and more than 1,000 of those have benefited by way of job promotions.

In addition, 164 departments have been added to the region's key hospitals thanks to the support of the 65 Aid-Tibet hospitals. Eighty-five major departments, including those featuring specialized treatments in the fields of cardiovascular disease, gynecology, obstetrics, pediatrics and orthopedics have been set up in the region.

Yan Li'e, head nurse in the west zone of China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, has been an Aid-Tibet supporter for two years in the Barkor Community Health Service Center of Lhasa, Tibet, together with 15 other Aid-Tibet medical workers.

"I am proud and pleased to have worked in Tibet over the last two years, and I am proud to see there have been improvements and achievements," she said.

"I think it's very important to have good communication with the local staff from the beginning. By knowing each other better, we can have an idea of what they need, and then we will know what we can do for them."

Yan said that over the past two years, the medical team has provided 190 training sessions for the local staff, which is far beyond the target set by the National Health Commission.

Of all the training, Yan said emergency rescue was the most crucial and impressive.

"The knowledge of emergency rescue in a narrow alley is important, so all the center's 21 workers were required to get instruction and participate in drills," she said.

The team also donated a lot of medical equipment to the center, along with related training. Echocardiography was covered, as well as fetal heart monitoring.

Over the two years, by making home visits, the Tibet-Aid medical team has gained many friends in the surrounding communities.

"Every time when we visit Tsamla, an old Tibetan woman who is very friendly gives us Tibetan butter tea and candies," Yan said.

"I don't know quite how to describe the relationship, except to say that this is what we call real love."