From April 20 to 22, 2024, a medical delegation led by Wang Yan, President of Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital (XMCH), affiliated with Xiamen University, traveled to El Salvador to participate in a medical exchange with doctors at Rosales National Hospital.

In the national capital San Salvador, the Chinese team guided Salvadoran physicians in performing a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) surgery and a minimally invasive aortic valve replacement surgery, both of which were the first to be conducted in El Salvador's public healthcare system.

The two hospitals signed a memorandum of cooperation, and XMCH partnered with Shanghai-based MicroPort Scientific Corp. to jointly donate medical equipment to support the development of Salvadoran healthcare.

"We believe these surgical demonstrations and medical donations will benefit numerous Salvadoran patients and significantly advance our healthcare system," Carlos Gabriel Alvarenga Cardoza, Vice Minister for Policies and Health Management of El Salvador, said of the initiative.

"Though geographically distant, Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries shares our commitment to medical excellence," Wang, also a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), said during an interview with China Hoy at the 2025 Two Sessions—China's annual meetings of the NPC and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee. "Through these exchanges, we've built mutual trust with outstanding cardiac specialists who actively seek deepening medical collaboration between China and LAC countries."

Heart connection 

For Wang, this visit is just one milestone in the deepening of medical cooperation between China and LAC countries. He has also shared his expertise in Brazil, where exchanges have taken place at institutions including Ceará State's Hospital de Messejana.

The joint surgeries have also accelerated the globalization of Chinese medical devices. Wang explained that Chinese-made medical devices have undergone continuous upgrades in quality and capability, gaining recognition across neighboring countries. When working in LAC countries, his team used Chinese equipment and achieved excellent clinical outcomes.

"In the past, LAC countries generally recognized the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or EU Medical Device Regulation standards," Wang said. "With the development of China's pharmaceutical and medical device industries, now there's growing acceptance of Chinese certifications and pharmaceutical products."

To bridge geographical barriers, Wang advocates expanding government and enterprise-led platforms to enhance medical accessibility, academic exchange and cross-continental communication between Chinese and LAC healthcare professionals. 

Over the past three decades, China's medical capabilities have advanced rapidly, with cardiovascular technologies now leading or approaching global forefront levels. XMCH exemplifies this progress.

The hospital routinely performs complex valve interventional surgeries, ranking among China's top institutions in both technical sophistication and procedural volume. It actively drives domestic innovation, partnering with enterprises to develop groundbreaking medical devices—some representing world-first technological breakthroughs.

"This transformation has profoundly impressed LAC doctors," Wang said. "They marvel at how China's cardiovascular medicine has leaped forward almost overnight."

To share China's advancements with global communities and elevate cardiovascular care worldwide, XMCH launched the Heart Sapling Program, an initiative training young cardiovascular specialists from developing countries.

Two Salvadoran physicians who assisted Chinese experts at Rosales National Hospital—cardiac surgeon Elenilson Mejia and echocardiographer Ricardo Menjivar—are program alumni. After completing six months of training at XMCH, starting July 2023, both became technical leaders in their home hospital.

To date, the program has trained 14 physicians from eight countries including Russia, Brazil, India, Indonesia and El Salvador. XMCH plans to expand enrollment to 50 participants over the next three years from the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative, an international collaboration aimed at supporting and advancing the Global Development Initiative.

Wang emphasized that LAC nations remain key participants of the Heart Sapling Program. "We will expand enrollment from LAC countries. We welcome anyone with a background in cardiovascular medicine who wants to further their studies in a specific field to apply," he said.

Highlighting shared challenges, Wang noted, "As developing nations are subject to heavy cardiovascular disease burdens, China and LAC countries must collaborate through joint research and knowledge exchange. Through concerted efforts, we can make vital contributions to global health equity."

As a pioneer in China's cardiovascular field, XMCH is innovating cross-continental medical collaboration with LAC countries through cutting-edge technologies, overcoming vast geographical barriers.

In May 2023, at the China (Xiamen)-Brazil Seminar on Interventional Treatment of Heart Valve Diseases, experts from XMCH demonstrated China's original medical technologies and domestically developed devices to Brazilian audiences via live-streamed procedures. This achievement was powered by XMCH's groundbreaking 5G+VR Cardiovascular Interventional Surgery Education Platform launched in 2022—the world's first system integrating 5G networks, virtual reality and modern operating rooms to enable real-time 360-degree surgical broadcasts.

"Over the past two years, we've conducted multiple real-time surgical demonstrations and academic exchanges with LAC countries through this platform," Wang said. Looking ahead, he envisions "potential 5G-powered telesurgery assisted by robotics."

In December 2023, Wang's team achieved a global milestone: performing a complex transcatheter mitral valve repair surgery with the assistance of a domestically developed surgical robot. Departing from conventional approaches, surgeons operated not in the operating room but at a console, directing robotic arms via joysticks with submillimeter precision. This was the world's first robotic-assisted procedure of its kind.

"While transoceanic ultra-long-distance robot-assisted surgery has succeeded in non-beating organs like kidneys, cardiac applications remained unexplored," Wang explained. The successful practice of XMCH signifies that ultra-long-distance robot-assisted operations for heart surgeries have become possible.

The hospital has initiated multicenter clinical trials to advance this technology. "With continued research, we anticipate achieving cross-border telesurgical operations soon," Wang said. "I look forward to collaborating with LAC partners through this revolutionary approach, transcending oceans to deliver life-saving care."

Heartfelt suggestion 

At this year's Two Sessions, Wang suggested accelerating the development of palliative care. "Many patients in the terminal stages of conditions like cancer or cardiovascular diseases lack adequate psychological support and daily care," he said. "While China has developed palliative care units, their availability remains limited. This is an area we should address as we improve our healthcare services." 

He suggested a multi-dimensional strategy to strengthen China's palliative care system. This includes accelerating national legislation on palliative care to establish legal frameworks, encouraging social capital to establish nonprofit palliative care institutions, and advancing home-based palliative care services. Key measures involve integrating nursing and social work resources to create comprehensive support networks, developing remote care teams, and progressively incorporating service costs into basic medical insurance while improving coordination with long-term care insurance and supplementary medical insurance programs. 

Additionally, the strategy emphasizes establishing palliative care as an independent medical discipline. This involves developing related sub-disciplines, enhancing practitioner compensation, engaging social organizations and volunteers and fostering collaborative service models through multidisciplinary teamwork. BR

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

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