In Lhunze County, Shannan City, XizangAutonomous Region, there is a special "clinic" that never closes and is online 24 hours a day. It has no fixed desks or chairs, but exists in the WeChat cloud. Day and night, it is ready to answer questions and provide diagnoses and treatment advice. For nearly four years, Wang Ping, an aid-Xizang doctor from Changde City, Hunan Province, has used an online imaging consultation WeChat group to build an "air bridge" for medical consultations across mountains and seas, safeguarding the health of people of all ethnic groups in Lhunze County with professional dedication and selfless devotion, and embodying the responsibility and commitment of aid-Xizang doctors in the new era.

Wang Ping (second from right), an aid-Xizang doctor, instructs doctors in the imaging department of the of Lhunze County People's Hospital  on reading scans. [Photo/Wang Shuo]

Around 1 a.m., Lhunze County was deep in the night, but Wang Ping's phone suddenly rang. A township health center in the county sent an urgent request for help: a resident had sudden severe abdominal pain, and the imaging data urgently needed professional interpretation. Fully awake now, Wang Ping got up, opened the work WeChat group, carefully read the images, made a precise assessment, quickly reviewed the condition and analyzed the cause, and immediately provided standard diagnostic and treatment advice and an emergency care plan.

Such late-night consultations have long been routine for Wang Ping during his aid-Xizang work. In his view, the pain of people on the plateau cannot be delayed or put off. Whenever there is a need at the grassrootslevel, he is online. Whether on weekdays or holidays, late at night or early in the morning, the small WeChat group has become the most reliable "cloud clinic" for grassroots medical care in Lhunze County.

Wang Ping performs a CT scan on a child patient. [Photo/Wang Shuo]  

In 2022, Wang Ping went to Lhunze County People's Hospital as a doctor of the Changde team of the 11th batch of Hunan Province's aid-Xizang working group to provide medical aid. When he first arrived on the plateau, he saw firsthand the shortcomings in local medical development. Previously, imaging diagnostic capacity in Lhunze County was weak, and township health centers had limited diagnostic capacity. When residents had difficult-to-diagnose imaging cases, they often had to travel long distances elsewhere for examinations and treatment. The journey was arduous and time-consuming, and placed an additional financial burden on their families. "Long distances to see a doctor and difficulty in getting medical care" was once a livelihood challenge for farmers and herders in Lhunze County.  

To shore up the county's medical weaknesses and improve local diagnostic and treatment capacity, Wang Ping, using the hospital’s newly introduced 64-slice spiral CT scanner, took on the challenge and made a breakthrough. He was the first to perform three-dimensional cardiovascular CT imaging in Lhunze County, filling a gap in local medical technology and allowing county residents to access accurate, advanced imaging diagnostic and treatment services at their doorstep.

Wang Ping examines residents at a township health center. [Photo/Wang Shuo]

With hardware and technology in place, it was also important for grassroots residents to benefit. Given Lhunze County's vast area, scattered townships and limited medical access in remote pastoral areas, Wang Ping took the lead in setting up a countywide imaging consultation WeChat group, bringing medical staff from the county hospital and all township health centers into the group. This created a full-coverage, round-the-clock countywide imaging consultation system. When a township health center encounters a difficult case, it can upload imaging data and patient information at any time. Wang Ping reads the images online in real time, provides precise consultations, answers questions and offers guidance, effectively resolving diagnostic and treatment difficulties at the grassroots level.

In the past, patients traveled over mountains and across rivers to seek treatment; now they can consult a doctor without leaving their township. The online cloud consultation model has broken down geographical and time-space barriers, greatly reducing the burden of travel for farmers and herders seeking medical care. Many residents say they can now receive effective treatment for difficult diseases at township health centers on their doorstep, truly experiencing the convenience and warmth brought by aid-Xizang medical care.

Teaching people how to fish matters more than giving them fish. As his term draws to a close, Wang Ping's greatest concern is not when he will return home, but whether local medical talent will continue to grow. He turns every online consultation into a vivid "cloud classroom." Using typical cases common on the plateau, such as chest diseases, bone lesions, acute abdominal conditions and multiple injuries, he explains in detail the key points in reading images, diagnostic reasoning and differential diagnosis, and unreservedly shares his years of clinical experience.

In his daily work, he regularly visits remote township health centers to provide mentoring and support. Through on-site image interpretation, case discussions, hands-on demonstrations and one-on-one tutoring, he trains local imaging talent. Under his careful mentorship, his apprentice Lhodan grew quickly and has become a key member and head of the imaging department at Lhunze County People's Hospital, able to independently perform routine and contrast-enhanced CT examinations and diagnose difficult cases. Patient visits to the department have increased significantly, with the average number of monthly CT examinations rising from 200 to 450, representing a qualitative leap in the county's overall imaging diagnostic and treatment capacity.

Over four years of aid-Xizang work, Wang Ping has long regarded Lhunze as his second hometown. At work, he remains dedicated to his post and contributes quietly; in daily life, he respects ethnic customs, studies daily Tibetanlanguage, actively participates in activities promoting ethnic unity, and regularly goes into villages, schools and monasteries to provide free medical checkups and health talks, building closer ties with people of all ethnic groups through sincerity and care.

After four years of dedicated service on the plateau, he has remained true to his original aspiration and made every moment count. With a solid work ethic and outstanding achievements in aid-Xizang work, Wang Ping has been named "an Outstanding Aid-Xizang Doctor", "Annual Advanced Individual" and "Advanced Individual of the Trade Union" in Lhunze County, and received the title of 2026 Lhunze County Model Individual for Ethnic Unity and Progress.

A small WeChat group connects Hunan and Xizang in deep friendship; a small screen conveys a doctor's compassion. Over four years of aid-Xizang work, Wang Ping has used technology to shore up weaknesses, practical work to benefit the people, and craftsmanship to cultivate talent. With dedication and great love, he continues to fulfill his aid-Xizang responsibilities on the snowy plateau, helping quality medical resources take root and benefit the people, and allowing the flower of ethnic unity to bloom forever in Lhunze, Xizang.

Reporter: Wang Ying, Konggar Laisong

Translator: Ni Weijing

First Review: Liu Fang

Second Review: Drakpa Wangchen

Third Review: Hu Rongguo