Hospital train brings hope via surgery

"Because Xinjiang is prone to strong winds that carry heavy sand, we are very concerned about the risk of wound infections. To minimize the risk, we have adopted the most advanced surgical technology that involves an incision just 2.8 millimeters long. The incision is so small that there is no need to sew it up and the patients can be discharged the day after the operation," she said. "Postoperative care is relatively convenient."

Feng added that many of the patients only spoke Mongolian and it was difficult to find a medical worker who could interpret during the operations.

"I encountered one such patient. We completed the operation by asking her to call her daughter via speakerphone so she could interpret for us and tell her mother what she should do during the surgery," Feng said.

Wang, the train manager, said some patients in sparsely populated Xinjiang were discouraged by the long journey to the hospital train, which was parked at a rail maintenance facility in the suburbs of Korla.

"Thankfully, local villages and hospitals had been promoting the project and spreading information about it for about a month before our visit, also during it," she said.

"Raising awareness about the condition and treatment options is important for the project's success."