African trip changes doctor's worldview

Wen Yan, a pediatrician from Hengyang Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Hunan province, returned to China last month after a transformative year-long medical mission in Zimbabwe.

As a member of the 21st China (Hunan) Medical Team to Zimbabwe, her journey was a testament to resilience, ingenuity and unwavering compassion in the face of overwhelming challenges. From nurturing fragile newborns to cultivating vegetables in arid soil, her story is one of profound humanity and cross-cultural solidarity.

During her tenure at Parirenyatwa Hospital, Wen faced daunting challenges: scarce medical resources, extreme heat, language barriers and limited neonatal care infrastructure. Despite these obstacles, she spearheaded life-saving interventions for critically ill newborns.

Among countless medical emergencies, one case etched itself into her memory: the fight to save Beauty, a 25-week preterm infant weighing a mere 800 grams. Born with underdeveloped lungs and severe respiratory distress, Beauty was deemed unlikely to survive in a hospital lacking the necessary equipment.

"Her skin was translucent, her body smaller than my palm," Wen said. "But even with the smallest chance, we had to try our best."