Bringing hearts and minds

"I hope that we can have more events like this in the future. It's a very meaningful project, as it not only facilitates communication and integration among different ethnic groups, but also allows local residents to benefit from top-notch medical resources and enjoy more convenient medical support."

It's the fourth time that Li Yan, an attending physician of internal medicine at Beijing Renhe Hospital, has participated in the program.

"It was a matter of chance when I was first invited to the program, but after attending the first trip, I started to join them whenever I could. I genuinely want to follow the team deep into the rural regions and get to know the areas and their people," Li says.

Compared to the regions she went to during previous trips, she says that the living conditions and medical services in Zogang county are insufficient in comparison.

Apart from seeing patients, prescribing medicine and instructing them on the various things they need to pay attention to, the doctors also have the responsibility of providing training sessions for local medical staff and giving health lectures to local residents.

"Even if we just offer meager services, be it basic medical treatment or delivering medicine, the journeys are meaningful," Li says.

"We also really hope that this isn't a one-off trip. Now, with the internet, we can build connections with local medical workers and provide medical support when we return to Beijing. But I also hope that one day, I can come back here as a volunteer once again."

Tashi Drolma expresses a similar hope that via this public welfare program, a sustainable collaborative scheme can be established between doctors from Beijing hospitals and Zogang.

For example, the doctors will help the county train their medical practitioners, either online or in situ, so as to help them acquire clinical proficiency and enhance their medical services.

In the meantime, Yu Huiyong, head of the Zogang medical team and a chief physician at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Third Affiliated Hospital, proposed that traditional Chinese medicine might offer an effective solution for improving medical services in rural areas.