Ten children from Tajikistan were sent to China for surgeries to treat congenital heart defects, and five of them have already undergone the operations, an official source within the Chinese Embassy in Dushanbe told Asia-Plus in an interview.
The children arrived in Urumqi, the administrative center of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), for free treatment at the Third People's Hospital of XUAR. The first operation was performed on January 14 on the 9-year-old boy Zinuriddin Asliddinzoda.
Asliddin Tojiddinzoda, the boy's grandfather, shared that after the surgery, his grandson would be able to go to school: “Our entire family is happy and grateful to the Chinese medical staff for their selfless help.”
The young patients, along with their parents, will stay in China for about a month to complete their treatment and recovery under the supervision of doctors.
Before the children were sent to China, they were seen off at the Dushanbe airport by the Chinese Ambassador to Tajikistan, Ji Shumin, and the Deputy Minister of Health of Tajikistan, Zulfiya Abdusamatzoda.
The agreement on cooperation with the Third People's Hospital of XUAR was reached in June 2024 during the visit of Tajikistan's Minister of Health to XUAR. In November of the same year, Chinese specialists from Urumqi and Wuhan's "Sehe" Hospital visited Dushanbe to conduct screening and diagnostics for local children.
Pan Dongmin, Deputy Director of the Third People's Hospital of XUAR, emphasized that this is just the beginning of a joint campaign to treat children with heart conditions between China and Tajikistan.
"In the future, even more young patients will be able to receive help thanks to our cooperation," he stressed.
Tajik cardiologist Abdusodiq Abdujabborov also participated in the surgeries. He highly appreciated the equipment and professionalism of his Chinese colleagues and expressed a desire to adopt advanced treatment methods to help his fellow citizens.
After completing treatment and observation, the remaining children will be discharged and return to Tajikistan. This cooperation is part of the “Health Silk Road” initiative, aimed at strengthening medical exchange and assistance from China to Central Asian countries.
