Tianjin doctors arrange free heart surgery for thousands of Qinghai children

For two decades, medical teams from Tianjin‑based TEDA International Cardiovascular Hospital have repeatedly traveled from their low‑elevation homes to the plateaus of Qinghai province to treat children with congenital heart disease (CHD).

The Qinghai‑Tibet Plateau sits at an average altitude of 3,000 meters. The elevation comes with an increased risk of high-altitude hypoxia, which in turn gives the province a higher rate of childhood CHD than the national average.

Over the past 20 years, the hospital teams have made 29 field trips to Qinghai, screening around 14,600 children and arranging free corrective surgery for 2,592 young patients. Though Qinghai accounts for merely 0.42 percent of China's population, it makes up 16 percent of the children assisted through the hospital's national CHD program.

The doctors observe their patients with ultrasound checks and clinical assessments to deliver diagnoses and subsequent treatment to remote mountain communities. After screening, eligible children go through official reviews by Qinghai civil‑affairs authorities and the Qinghai Charity Federation before traveling in groups to Tianjin for surgery. Charitable organizations cover surgical costs while local governments offer transport subsidies.

Dianga, now 16, is one beneficiary. Twelve years ago, the youth from Yushu was diagnosed with CHD. Treatment was delayed for years due to financial hardship and limited local medical resources. Selected during the hospital's field screening, he traveled to Tianjin for corrective heart surgery.

Fully recovered, Dianga is now a high‑school student in Xining and a key member of his school football team. "Apart from a small scar on my body, I hardly remember I once had congenital heart disease," he said. "After the surgery I could do everything other young people do."

Liu Xiaocheng, Party secretary and president of the hospital, leads these plateau missions and is also a core developer of China's home‑grown "Rocket Heart" artificial‑heart device. In August, the 77‑year‑old doctor headed a team across 14 counties in the Guoluo and Yushu Tibetan autonomous prefectures, working at altitudes reaching 5,000 meters. They screened 480 children and identified over 30 patients needing surgery.

Nationwide, the hospital's relief work covers 28 provincial‑level regions, helping 17,000 orphaned and poor children from 35 ethnic groups. For its contributions, the hospital has received the "National Advanced Collective in Poverty Alleviation" honor.

Zhong Aiyamei contributed to this story.