Qingpu event raises 1m yuan for children with congenital heart disease

Hu Min
A charity event in Qingpu District recently raised 1 million yuan to provide aid to nearly 50 children with congenital heart disease in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.
Hu Min
Qingpu event raises 1m yuan for children with congenital heart disease
Ti Gong

Children from Xizang present hada to doctors in Qingpu for their help.

A charity event in Qingpu District recently raised 1 million yuan (US$142,400) to provide aid to nearly 50 children with congenital heart disease in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.

The incidence rate of congenital heart disease is approximately eight in one thousand in China. If not treated promptly, it severely impacts children's healthy development and can be life-threatening.

The charity event organized by Shanghai Yida Hospital in Qingpu District under the support of authorities in Xizang and Qingpu was part of a national public welfare aid program for congenital heart disease patients.

Qingpu event raises 1m yuan for children with congenital heart disease
Ti Gong

Officials from Shanghai visit patients in Xizang.

A comprehensive service system has been established, aiding patients in early screening, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.

Over the past 17 years, the program has screened about 2 million people nationwide and left a trail of love across most of China, helping over 10,000 patients with congenital heart disease to undergo successful surgery.

Since the beginning of the program, patients with congenital heart disease in Xizang have always been a focus. Over the past 15 years, the medical team from the hospital has conducted nearly 50,000 screenings in Xizang for congenital heart disease.

Qingpu event raises 1m yuan for children with congenital heart disease
Ti Gong

Doctors from Qingpu perform a surgery in Xizang on a patient with congenital heart disease.

"With an average altitude of 4,600 meters, high-altitude reactions have occurred in almost every member of the screening team," said Li Baojun, director of the cardiovascular surgery department of the hospital.

"However, we had many touching moments in Xizang, where physical exhaustion is offset with warmth in the heart."

The hypoxia caused by the high altitude leads to a higher incidence of congenital heart disease among children in Xizang than children in lower plain areas. However, if their condition is discovered early and surgery performed in time, they are likely to grow up as healthy as their peers, Li said.

During the charity event, child representatives of Xizang who have recovered through treatment, and their families, presented letters of thanks and hada – a traditional ceremonial scarf – to the medical team for their love and company.

"At our most desperate moment, it was the program that gave us hope," they said.

Enterprises and individuals donated during the event, raising 1 million yuan, all of which will be used to assist children with congenital heart disease.


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