Three crimson plaques, carrying profound gratitude, recently completed a 4,300-kilometer journey from Ili, Xinjiang, to Gaochun People's Hospital in Nanjing. These plaques, presented to the hospital's medical administration department, gastroenterology department, and cardiology department, tell a story of medical care spanning east-west China and reflect the deep trust between doctors and patients.
In December 2025, a 63-year-old woman from Ili, Xinjiang, traveled specifically to Gaochun People's Hospital to see Dr. Zhuang Duanming, Deputy Director of Gastroenterology. She was a returning patient, having undergone an endoscopic mucosal resection procedure at the hospital in 2023, and had come for a routine follow-up regarding her three-month history of upper abdominal discomfort and pain. Upon examination, Dr. Zhuang, drawing on his extensive clinical experience, suspected a more complex cause for the abdominal pain. A multi-system screening revealed moderate stenosis in the left anterior descending coronary artery on a CTA scan, indicating a serious underlying cardiac issue with a risk of acute myocardial infarction.
Treating the condition became the immediate priority. Under the coordination of the medical administration department, an urgent multi-disciplinary consultation involving gastroenterology, cardiology, and respiratory medicine was convened. The patient was seamlessly transferred via a green channel to the cardiology department the same day, where a coronary angiogram confirmed the initial diagnosis. After thorough communication with the patient and her family, the medical team successfully performed a coronary intervention procedure to precisely address the arterial narrowing. The patient recovered well and was discharged smoothly.
This trust spanning vast distances was not accidental. In December 2019, Dr. Zhuang, as the longest-serving Party member in the hospital's gastroenterology department, was the first to volunteer for a medical aid mission to Xinjiang, marking the beginning of his deep connection with Ili with his statement, "I am a Party member; I should go first." During his year and a half at Yining City People's Hospital, he provided hands-on training, introducing over ten new techniques, including endoscopic submucosal dissection, to the region. This helped elevate the local annual volume of complex surgeries from zero to 350 cases. Beyond technology, he introduced new concepts, pioneering early screening for digestive tract tumors in the Ili prefecture, which led to the detection of 26 cases of digestive tract cancer in 2020, eight of which were early-stage and received minimally invasive treatment.
The connection endured after his mission ended. In February 2023, a 15-year-old girl from Xinjiang, who had suffered from recurrent abdominal pain for two years and was advised locally to have her appendix removed, traveled to Gaochun with her parents for treatment. The girl's father had previously consulted Dr. Zhuang twice during his time in Xinjiang, forging a strong bond. Dr. Zhuang and his team performed an endoscopic retrograde appendicitis therapy procedure, a minimally invasive technique that successfully removed appendicoliths. The girl's pain disappeared by the second day post-surgery, and she was discharged on the third day. Before departing, her father held Dr. Zhuang's hand and said, "Distances have boundaries, but care does not. You and your family are always welcome in Xinjiang."
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