Chinese doctors help children in Laos

Chinese doctors helped screen children for congenital heart disease in Laos recently, and provided needed treatment.

Medical workers from both China and Laos offered services in mid-June in two Lao provinces, examining and treating 6,000 children in three days.

The teams conducted an ultrasound-guided interventional surgery inside a mobile operation module that needed only 15 minutes on average. The technique, developed by Pan Xiangbin, deputy director of Fuwai Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, does not cut the body or use radioactive rays or contrast agents to treat heart disease. It's a minimally invasive and cheaper route for patients. The technique won the World Health Organization's science and technology innovation award last year.

Lao Health Minister Bounfeng Phoummalaysith visited the module and praised the advances of Chinese technology and equipment, saying he hoped more Lao doctors would learn about the technique in China. Chinese Ambassador to Laos Jiang Zaidong said the event boosted friendly exchanges between people. He Zhaohua, deputy director for international cooperation of the National Health Commission, said he hoped China and Laos would enhance medical cooperation.

The event was organized by the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Fuwai Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Fuwai Yunnan Cardiovascular Hospital.