NGOs flex their muscles to bridge the urban-rural rehabilitation divide

A fresh approach

Leung started Operation Concern in 1993 after a period spent acting as a consultant for Operation Smile, a charity from the United States based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. The NGO was providing free surgery for children with cleft palates in less-developed regions.

He realized that the charity's approach provided a short-term fix, but didn't solve problems in the long run. "It usually sent a group of specialists to replace local doctors, but they left after performing scores of surgeries," the 77-year-old recalled.

The experience inspired Leung to do something different. Later that year, Operation Concern was born when he recruited several medical professionals from Hong Kong who were willing to spend their spare time visiting the mainland and providing services free of charge.

From the start, Leung focused on rural hospitals, because a lack of experienced doctors meant they were most in need of support, and he also paid great attention to training local professionals.

The program has evolved, so doctors in rural areas now learn by working alongside their counterparts from Hong Kong, while the charity also signs contracts to enable promising young medical professionals to travel to the city for advanced training.

Leung started the Operation Concern Foundation, which acts as a funding vehicle for the charity, as a way of paying for the doctors' visits to the mainland, the medical bills incurred by the rural poor and the training sessions in Hong Kong.