Kuli, a high school girl from Xinjiang, can finally stand up straight after having a major surgery in August to correct her 50-degree sideway curved spine. Thanks to this first scoliosis surgery in south Xinjiang, Kuli could show the best of her in her best age.

DR. XU ZHENGKUAN

Kuli’s chief surgeon is Dr. XU Zhengkuan, a SAHZU orthopedic surgeon who is currently working at the Affiliated Hospital to the First Unit of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps as a medical volunteer. By the time of this surgery, one whole year has passed since Dr. XU arrived at that beautiful and vast land. He said it’s the trust he’s bearing with him and his family support that drive him to devote 100% into his volunteer medical work there. 

Over the past year, besides clinical work, Dr. XU also helped re-organize their department structure. He divided the orthopedic department of the Affiliated Hospital into divisions of spine surgery, sports medicine and joint replacement so as to optimize the medical resources. He even set up a quality control center for bone surgeries. His efforts yield satisfactory results. The level of diagnosis and treatment of bone diseases in the Affiliated Hospital grew quickly. Local orthopedic surgeons could solo perform complicated surgeries now after learning from Dr. XU.

DR. ZHANG YUFANG (UP) AND DR. CHEN XIANYI (DOWN)

Dr. XU Zhengkuan is not the first SAHZU doctor who joins the medical volunteer work in Xinjiang. Dr. ZHANG Yufang and Dr. CHEN Xianyi, also SAHZU doctors, chose to stay in Xinjiang after one year and half volunteer work there, which significantly improves the intensive care and neurological intervention level in the boarder Aksu area. For example, the success rate of rescue increased to 96% from 80% in the Affiliated Hospital and many high risk brain surgeries such as arterial thrombolysis, endovascular embolization for arteriovenous malformation and meningioma were conducted for the first time in Xinjiang.

To help their doctors, to teach techniques, to build up a quality team are what SAHZU doctors have been doing in Xinjiang. SAHZU is one of the first Zhejiang hospitals to send its doctors for volunteer work in Xinjiang. 18 batches of doctors from 11 SAHZU specialties have assisted Xinjiang hospitals in response to the national call to help Xinjiang people. Heart touching stories about SAHZU physicians’ love and devotion circulate among people in that beautiful mountain region.