Grateful patients thank doctors at Olympic Village

Doctors stationed at the Olympic Village in Beijing's Chaoyang district for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, which ended on Sunday, have been showered with praise and gratitude by athletes and staff.

The clinic was run by 193 healthcare workers from seven medical institutions, including the Capital Medical University's Xuanwu Hospital, Peking University Hospital of Stomatology and the Beijing Emergency Medical Center.

As a token of appreciation, foreign participants who benefited from treatment sent a number of thank-you notes in different forms.

Li Shuming, a doctor from the Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, got a note from one member of a foreign delegation that he treated with acupuncture.

"I would like to thank Doctor Li for his hospitality, kindness and helpful cure," it said. "I arrived in China in bad health, but I now feel well and depart in a good mood thanks to him. Thank you for your kindness."

Li recalled that the patient had severe pain in his back and legs, and was worried that he would be unable to keep working during the Games.

"Soon after the acupuncture treatment, he felt much better and said that it was like magic," Li said. "The next time he came, he also brought two other members of the delegation who had similar conditions for acupuncture treatment."

A Swiss ice hockey player became a fan of traditional Chinese medicine during her stay in Beijing.

In a handwritten letter she left to Li and another doctor at the clinic, she said, "After acupuncture and tai chi, I always felt great. It felt like energy was flowing through my entire body, felt energized and more vitality, calm and relaxed."

She added, "Thank you very much for this wonderful experience and fantastic treatment."

Another popular corner at the clinic was the rehabilitation department. A female official with the International Olympic Committee visited it five times to fix lower back pain.

Physiotherapists gave her manual massages and microwave resonance therapy.

"This place is a real joy. Too great not to be remembered and too wonderful to be forgotten. Thank you Beijing!" she said in a note.

Peng Mao, a doctor from the clinic's psychotherapy department, said he received a message from one of his patients, a delegation official who reported anxiety and insomnia upon arriving and talked with Peng three times to relieve the condition.

"I have no words to describe how grateful I am to you and your team for your help," it read.

A pharmacist from the International Olympic Committee said he was impressed by the well-organized and efficient pharmacy at the clinic.

In a note written on the side of a cardboard box, he said, "Thank you for your remarkable work to keep the athletes of the world safe and healthy."