After suffering from cataracts for many years, He Xiyou, a 77-year-old resident of Pishan County in Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, had his sight restored in March, thanks to a free surgery performed as part of the region's ongoing paired assistance program.

Hotan is celebrated for the quality of its fruit, a testament to its abundant sunshine and long daylight hours. However, the intense ultraviolet rays also contribute to a significantly higher incidence of cataracts among local residents. This March, a medical team comprised of physicians from Anhui Province and their local counterparts from Pishan County People's Hospital traveled to townships in the county to provide free surgeries to He, along with over 200 other local residents.

The collaboration was part of a national paired assistance program launched by the Central Government in 1997. Under the program, some Central Government departments, central state-owned enterprises, as well as 14 provinces and municipalities in China's more developed regions, were paired with Xinjiang. Through personnel exchanges and assistance programs in areas such as science and technology, education and healthcare, the program channels expertise and resources to help eliminate China's regional disparity in development.

The program entered a new phase in April 2010, when the Central Government designated 19 provinces and municipalities in east and central China to provide assistance to Xinjiang in areas including the economy, science and technology, culture, education, and talent development. On July 20, the 10th work conference on supporting Xinjiang through paired assistance was convened in Hotan, where new plans were made for the continuation of paired assistance work.

Enhancing professional skills

In June, Aili (pseudonym), a man from Shaya County in Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, suffered an accident, in which his leg was crushed and amputated by an agricultural machine. He was transferred to a hospital in Alar City, approximately 170 km away. The hospital was built with support from the Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine.

"When the patient arrived, he was in shock, and the amputation was at the groin, which is one of the most complex situations in our department," recalled Zhou Gang, a physician in the hospital's Orthopedics Department. Through multidisciplinary collaboration, the patient's severed limb was successfully reattached within an hour via surgeries that involved the reconnection of arteries, veins and nerves. Notably, the physicians who performed this complex procedure were local doctors who had received training from specialists from Zhejiang Province.

During the surgery, Aili required an urgent blood transfusion. However, his blood is Rhesus (Rh) negative, which is exceptionally rare in China, where only 0.3 percent of people are Rh negative.

While an urgent appeal for public blood donations was issued, visiting specialists from Zhejiang briefed local doctors about a novel medical protocol for using Rh-positive blood to treat Rh-negative patients in specific emergency circumstances. "We would never have dared to attempt this method before," Zhou said. However, with the support of the specialists, this approach saved the patient's life.

Reflecting on the transformative impact of the medical paired assistance program, Zhou commented that thanks to this initiative, residents can now access high-quality medical treatment within the autonomous region. The program has provided numerous local doctors with invaluable opportunities to learn about cutting-edge medical technologies and information.

Inclusive medical care

In addition to enhancing the professional skills of local medical staff, the paired medical assistance program has also contributed to the improvement of infrastructure within local hospitals, fostering the development of smart healthcare.

"Please speak into the microphone, and it will automatically translate," said Nuermaimaiti Maitituoheti, an information center administrator at Pishan County People's Hospital, demonstrating a real-time translator to a patient. Pishan County is home to multiple ethnic groups, and some ethnic minority residents are unable to accurately express their medical conditions in standard Chinese. To reduce communication challenges, the hospital uses a real-time translation system developed by iFlytek, a leading Chinese AI company specializing in voice recognition and translation.

According to research conducted in 2024 by the Committee on Ethnic and Religious Affairs of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body, proficiency in spoken and written standard Chinese is low among farmers and herders in remote areas of Xinjiang, particularly among those over 50 years old. In areas such as these, intelligent translation systems effectively enhance access to quality medical treatment and health services.

Beyond language barriers, another significant impediment to accessing medical resources in the remote areas of the autonomous region is the difficulty in reaching hospitals.

Although primary healthcare institutions are progressively extending their reach into remote areas, remote healthcare is also rapidly expanding to provide cutting-edge information and the diagnosis of complex cases.

According to the Notice on Accelerating the Construction of "Broadband Frontiers," jointly issued by 13 departments, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in December 2023, 5G and gigabit optical networks are slated to become accessible in counties and towns in border regions by the end of this year. With the arrival of this new connectivity, more residents in remote areas will find accessing remote healthcare more convenient than undertaking long-distance travel.

Xu Donghao, Vice President of Hotan Prefecture People's Hospital, said that in recent years, the hospital has established an Internet Hospital Diagnosis and Treatment Center and a 5G Remote Consultation Center. Previously, patients had to travel to multiple hospitals to obtain optimal treatment plans, incurring significant time and transportation costs. Currently, patients can complete online consultations via a Weixin mini-program. If further diagnosis and treatment are required, they can then visit the nearest primary healthcare institution and connect with medical specialists providing assistance via video. 

A service center offering comprehensive services to patients who are unable to use smart systems at a hospital in Alar City, Xinjiang, built with support from Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, on August 12 (SHANG ZHOUHAO) 

Research collaboration

The assistance program is also fostering research collaboration between doctors in Xinjiang and other parts of China. In Hotan, local doctors possess extensive clinical experience, but their research capabilities are relatively underdeveloped. Tang Yong, a specialist from Tianjin providing assistance in Xinjiang as director of the Ophthalmology Department at Hotan Prefecture People's Hospital, mentioned that his hospital is advancing collaborative research projects with hospitals in Tianjin.

Due to climatic and environmental differences, some prevalent diseases in Xinjiang are distinct from those in other parts of China. Collaborative efforts between the two regions make it possible to use Tianjin's advanced research capabilities to study Xinjiang's distinct cases. "Through the exchange of ideas, we can discover research directions together. Now, our hospital and many hospitals in Tianjin have cooperative projects in progress," Tang told Beijing Review. This reflects a new shift in paired assistance to Xinjiang, moving from unilateral aid to mutual assistance.

The increasing ability of Xinjiang's hospitals to carry out research is also positioning them as important hubs for international medical exchange. Zhang Lei, president of the hospital in Alar City built with support from Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, told Beijing Review that a group of doctors from Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan had recently completed their studies at his hospital, and they expressed particular appreciation for traditional Chinese medicine. This year, with a budget of 63 million yuan ($8.8 million), the hospital will complete the construction of an international academic exchange center covering over 3,000 square meters, which will include functions such as academic conferences, remote diagnosis and treatment, research, and training.

Today, the paired assistance program for Xinjiang has gone beyond technology and resources support to systematic capacity building. With such enhanced efforts, Xinjiang is no longer merely a recipient of assistance but is emerging as a new leader in medical development. BR

(Reporting from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region) 

(Print Edition Title: Bridging Gaps)  

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

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