Doctor on the prairie

Wang Wanqing(L), a delegate of the 18th CPC National Congress and veteran surgeon, takes a villager's pulse in Lanzhou, Gansu province, Nov 1, 2012. The "Good Doctor" Wang Wanqing doesn't make ward rounds in the wards, and he offers vital medicine on the prairie.

Wang, a retired chief surgeon in the Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Gansu province, has been the "Mamba" or “Good doctor” to more than three thousand villagers for 44 years, some 3600 meters above sea level.

The village is severely understaffed and often without proper medical equipment. In his tenure, Wang has completed more than 70,000 visits and operated on more than 10,000 patients.

As head of the local hospital, he started a medical record system so that the 3,000 plus population had medical documents for the first time.

Wang, born in metropolitan Shanghai, came to the less-developed plateau when he was 24 and has stayed since. He's now 70 years of age. His wife Kai Lao joins him on the rounds with him for fear of his health. Wang's oldest son has also become a “Mamba.” [Photo/Xinhua]