6 | Monday, August 9, 2021 HONG KONG EDITION | DAILY CHINA

TALKING POINT Volunteer doctors provide plateau care Altitude Experts from around China provide assistance on high plains. Li Lei reports from Madoi, . outweighs n May, a magnitude 7.4 earth- quake hit Madoi county, Qing- attitude in hai province, turning the sparsely populated county Iseat into a sea of navy blue disaster- safety scare relief tents. Inside a tent pitched near the hospital, Xu Dong, a renowned heart surgeon whose consulting rooms in Beijing are usually fully Li Lei booked, was providing local ethnic Tibetans with free diagnoses. To advise older patients who only spoke Tibetan, Xu, director of the There was no need to consult my cardiac surgery department at Bei- smartwatch to know that we had jing Tiantan Hospital, turned to a climbed to an altitude of more than younger member of the group who 4,500 meters. Bodily discomfort could speak Mandarin. serves as a warning system on the Scores of patients had gathered Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. outside the tents set up by Xu and his After a four-hour journey, our colleagues. They patiently waited coach pulled into a parking lot in their turn in the freezing drizzle that Madoi county, a sprawling herding is common during the fleeting sum- district in the northwestern province mer on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, of Qinghai. which stands at an altitude of 4,500 I disembarked and took a stroll, to 5,000 meters. but it felt like hard work. Many said they had received What seemed like a slightly dazed WeChat messages announcing that feeling at lower climes — such as experienced doctors from the “low- when I visited Lhasa, capital of the er regions” would be arriving. Tibet autonomous region, in 2019 at Some had driven hundreds of about 3,000 meters above sea level — kilometers from their rural com- had worsened into a severe headache munities for one-on-one consulta- because of the thin air. tions with experts specializing in As the atmospheric pressure fell problems related to the bones, car- Herders in Madoi county, Qinghai province, line up for medical consultations as part of a charity program in July. Qin Bin / FOR CHINA DAILY rapidly, my sunscreen bottle swelled diac issues, the digestive system, and its contents spilled out. gynecology and traditional Chinese Trees were a rare sight. The soil was medicine. frozen. Rice tasted half-cooked. With prescriptions issued by the I checked into a small hotel, where specialists, the patients could about 35 doctors and journalists receive free medication donated by would stay for the next few days as a pharmaceutical company. part of a volunteer medical program. Xu, 57, was one of 302 medical Most of our rooms were on the and health experts from across the third floor, but all the elevators nation who had traveled to the had been suspended by order of Golog Tibetan autonomous prefec- the local authorities. ture to help remedy a shortage of About two months earlier, a high-quality medical resources on magnitude 7.4 earthquake had hit the oxygen-deficient plateau that is Madoi, which is four times the size home to many ethnic Tibetans. of Shanghai but has less than The prefecture’s Madoi, an elevat- 15,000 residents. No casualties ed area that is promoted as the were reported, but aftershocks “source of the ”, is known kept occurring, making elevators for its tough working conditions. undesirable utilities. A wall on one street bears an From left: A red banner announces that volunteer doctors from across China have traveled to Madoi to advise the residents about their I was assigned a roommate, a encouraging banner that says local health. Qin Bin / FOR CHINA DAILY Xu Dong, a renowned heart surgeon from Beijing, conducts checkups on children in a remote village in the photo­journalist in his 50s. We residents “may run short of oxygen, county. GUO JUNFENG / FOR CHINA DAILY climbed flights of stairs carrying suit- but not a hardworking spirit”. cases packed with winter clothes and Xu and his colleagues were vol- other necessities to survive the sun- unteers for China-Hearts, a charity standing of disease,” he said, add- He compared the fat that clogs despite his tight work schedule in burn-producing ultraviolet radiation. program launched in 2008, the ing that ignorance is taking a heavy blood vessels with dumpling fill- the capital. The climb clearly worsened our year a devastating quake tore apart toll on people’s health. ings as he explained the process of On his first trip, China-Hearts symptoms. We were both breathless Wenchuan, a sleepy town in Si-­ He cited high blood pressure, or accumulation on the vessels’ inner brought some of the country’s best when we reached our room. He had chuan province, killing more than Qinghai hypertension, as an example, say- walls, which can turn hyperten- doctors to the southern part of trouble sleeping, and I developed a 69,000 people. The tragedy fueled a ing that about 75 percent of such sion into a life-threatening condi- Gansu province, home to a vast mild fever, which lasted until I left the nationwide fervor for volunteer patients across China do not realize tion if medication is not taken high-altitude plain that is inhabit- place. I took pills, only to vomit later. Madoi work. they have the condition, and of every day. ed by Tibetan herders. Cracks could be seen meandering

The visit to Madoi was Xu’s 11th CHINA DAILY those who do, less than 30 percent “You can spend about 200 yuan At the time, the central govern- across the walls of the room, a telltale trip to the plateau regions that the have sought treatment. The num- ($31) a month on medication, but if ment had just announced a sweep- sign of the quake’s destruction and a program had arranged since 2013. bers may be higher among the high- you don’t, you will be paying ing eight-year campaign to end reminder that the danger had not Over the years, he has advised common among herders who roam plains herders as a result of their 200,000 yuan to treat a cerebral absolute rural poverty, and the gone away. thousands of herders, from Si­- China’s northwestern regions. poor health awareness. hemorrhage,” he told his viewers. region was home to some of the most It certainly hadn’t. At about mid- chuan and Yunnan provinces to the Herders often have cardiovascu- “People with diabetes, high blood At times, Xu asked a Tibetan offi- impoverished people in the country. night, a magnitude 4.8 quake Tibet autonomous region, mostly lar conditions, such as chronic high pressure and elevated levels of cial at his side if the local people Through his visits to Gansu, Xu struck the county and made my at rural clinics that are well- blood pressure and congenital blood cholesterol seldom take pills. would understand his simple has developed an intimacy with the roommate and I — both awake equipped but lack highly trained heart disease. It’s not that they can’t afford them, expressions. He was reassured to area that is rich in Tibetan culture, because of the discomfort we were medical professionals. Experts and local health officials they just don’t know it’s important, learn that in most herding families where gold-domed temples dot the feeling — jump out of our beds. China-Hearts has arranged attribute this to a number of factors and that’s scary,” he said. the children attend school and landscape, colorful prayer flags We scrambled for our clothes and about 2,000 surgeries for children including the high altitude — To help turn the tide — some- learn Mandarin, so they are able to bearing Buddhist scriptures flutter shoes and argued about whether we with congenital heart problems in where the poor oxygen concentra- thing he acknowledged will be a relay his message to older relatives. in the wind and the horizon is filled had enough time to run outside. these high places, and Xu has been tion and low temperatures pose a long process — he readily accepted “To rein in chronic diseases, doc- with yaks grazing on the land. Before we had reached agree- involved in more than 60 of them. major health risk — and a lack of an invitation to shoot a short video tors can only accomplish half the He said the experience had puri- ment, the shaking had stopped. The “As a doctor, I feel honored to do awareness of management of about the basics of high blood pres- task by providing accurate diagno- fied his soul and prompted him to street our room overlooked was at least something to help them,” he chronic disease. sure and diabetes. ses,” Xu said. “The rest is down to return again and again. quickly flooded with people. I said. Local officials said the video mes- the patients themselves.” “The history and culture, and the always buckle up when riding in a Traveling with Xu were some big Lack of awareness sage will be shared with the coun- local people’s way of life all appeal car, and my survival instincts told names from China’s medical com- Xu’s interactions with herders ty’s 14,400 residents via the local Maiden trip to me. As an integral part of Chi- me to join those life-cherishing peo- munity, including Dong Jiahong, a over the years and his deep famili- government’s official WeChat In 2013, Xu embarked on his nese culture, Tibetan Buddhism ple downstairs, but the discomfort leading expert on liver treatment, arity with their diet and habits account. maiden trip to the high-altitude ter- offers a great deal that is worthy of told me to stay put. surgery and transplants. Dong’s have deepened his understanding Speaking slowly in Mandarin, Xu rain in and around the Qinghai-Ti- extensive research,” he said. The older man and I stared at each focus was on echinococcosis or of health problems on the arid stressed the cost of not managing bet Plateau as part of the China- other and then decided to creep back hydatid disease, a parasitic illness plateau. chronic diseases through medica- Hearts program. Since then, he has Contact the writer at to our beds, but we kept our pants caused by liver tapeworms that is “Many lack even a basic under- tion or dietary changes. visited once, or even twice, a year, [email protected] on, just in case. Grassroots medics battle harsh working conditions

By li lei born in Madoi, a sprawling, sparsely The isolation makes Madoi an Beijing Sixth Hospital and a cardio- populated herding district at an alti- expensive place to live because all vascular expert, was one of about Chodron, a health worker at a tude of more than 4,500 meters in supplies have to be shipped in. 300 doctors who recently traveled to hospital in Madoi county, Qinghai Northwest China. She left her isolat- After her return, Chodron mar- Qinghai to help bridge a shortfall in province, has been advised to quit ed hometown for college more than ried and had a child. “I cannot leave quality healthcare. her high-altitude job to ease a per- a decade ago. as I am not given an annual vaca- He said the high altitude, poor sistent pain in her chest. However, After leaving a vocational medi- tion,” she said. “I can only leave oxygen concentration and year- her patients need her to stay. cal college in , she was one of when I am off-duty.” round low temperatures pose chal- Like many people on the arid a small number of graduates who Due to a shortage of staff mem- lenges to people’s health and cause a Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the 30-year- opted to return to the plateau and bers, Chodron assumes multiple range of ailments, such as osteo­- old has congenital heart disease and become health workers. Her deci- roles, which is common at grass- arthropathy — a disease of the joints pulmonary hypertension, a type of sion was partly prompted by the roots hospitals. She oversees the or bones — rheumatism, gout and high blood pressure that causes lack of competition in Madoi, pharmacy, manages the warehouse deformed joints. Chodron, a health worker at a hospital in Madoi, Qinghai, visits a chest pains and shortness of breath. which is known for its harsh work- and operates the type-B ultrasonic He explained that the low level of senior as part of a free health check program. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Her symptoms have worsened ing conditions. equipment. oxygen leads to a higher volume of with age. Doctors have advised her There’s no railway station, and the The harsh environment has led to red blood cells and thus thicker to move to the provincial capital, nearest airport is a five-hour drive a brain drain of doctors in a county blood. Lack of oxygen during preg- Madoi and offer their services on a She intends to use the experi- Xining, where she could be treated away. Although the county is served four times the size of Shanghai but nancy can also cause congenital voluntary basis. Nyima Kyi is Cho-­ ence she has gained at the grass- by specialists. As the city lies at a by a newly built highway, the frozen with less than 15,000 residents. heart disease among newborns. dron’s colleague. The 27-year-old roots level and Madoi’s harsh lower altitude, her conditions would ground means the speed limit is less The altitude has taken a toll on Liu would like to see the central from Xining attended a medical uni- working conditions to help her also be eased. than 80 kilometers an hour, which the health of those medics who have government step up efforts to versity in Chongqing, and now she move to Xining, closer to her Chodron, who like many ethnic significantly increases journey stayed. encourage young, capable medics works in the hospital’s scanning retired parents. Tibetans only uses one name, was times. Liu Siren, vice-president of the and college graduates to come to department. “I’m still working on it,” she said.