An attending obstetrician and gynecologist from Xiangyang First People's Hospital performs surgery in Xizang. [Pema Tsewang]

Experts from Beijing Jishuitan Hospital provide free medical consultation for children at Lhasa People's Hospital. [Wang Min]

"Before, when seriously ill, I had to trek over mountains to get to Lhasa. Now, I can be cured right at our city hospital. Thank you so much!" At Nagqu People's Hospital, Tashi, freshly discharged after his recovery, tightly grasped the hands of the medical aid experts, his words filled with gratitude.

Since 2015, a total of 2,417 medical experts in 11 batches from across the country have participated in the "group-based" medical aid program for Xizang. Taking root on the snowy plateau, they have worked from city hospitals to remote villages, tackling technical challenges and fostering local talent, building a bridge of health for people of all ethnic groups with their benevolence and expertise.

According to the Xizang Autonomous Region Health Commission, since 2015, 184 supporting hospitals from 12 paired-assistance provinces and municipalities have signed assistance agreements with the recipient hospitals in Xizang. To date, they have helped establish 2,039 medical teams, trained 5,416 local medical personnel, performed 136,000 Level III and IV surgeries, introduced and promoted 5,211 new medical services and technologies, and filled 2,806 gaps in medical care.

The medical aid teams have brought not only advanced skills but also hope for life to people of all ethnic groups in Xizang. As a key unit receiving paired assistance from Beijing, Lhasa People's Hospital, under the innovative"one hospital sponsoring specific departments" model, has received targeted support for 12 clinical departments. Over 400 new technologies and projects have been carried out, enabling the independent diagnosis and treatment of many diseases previously deemed untreatable.

In 2025, leveraging the "group-based" medical aid program as a link, the Autonomous Region People's Hospital assembled 104 aid experts and key local medical staff to conduct nine extensive mobile medical service tours throughout the year. Their footprints reached Ngari, Xigaze, Nagqu, Shannan, Nyingchi, and other areas, delivering quality medical resources right to the people's doorsteps.

Focusing on high-incidence diseases in plateau regions such as cardiovascular and digestive system ailments, the mobile medical service teams provided free consultations, chronic disease screenings, and medication guidance for over 1,000 individuals, distributed medicines worth nearly 30,000 yuan, and built a health protection barrier for plateau residents with their professionalism and dedication.

Over the past decade, successive batches of aid teams have worked tirelessly. The assistance mechanisms of "team guiding team," "expert guiding key staff," and "master guiding apprentice" have been fully implemented and yielded deep-rooted results across Xizang.

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Talent cultivation has always been the core mission of the "group-based" aid program. Beyond on-site training during daily work, the aid teams organize annual training sessions for Xizang's local medical personnel at high-level hospitals outside the region. They have conducted 3,356 academic exchange sessions, formulated 2,782 disciplinary and specialized development plans, and applied for 2,215 research projects, allowing advanced medical concepts to take root on the plateau.

"Genuine assistance for Xizang has never been merely about transferring technology; it is more about the passing on the spirit and the relay of mission," said Li Nan, an aid expert from Peking University First Hospital working at the Xizang Autonomous Region People's Hospital, voicing the sentiments shared by all medical aid workers in Xizang.

Reporter: Wen Feng

Translator: Dan Zhen, Liu Fang

Review: Hu Rongguo, Drakpa Wangchen