Pic story: doctor and "Island Health Station" on wooden boat (29)

Yu Jiajun drives his boat to make a visit in Jinzhai County of Luan City, east China's Anhui Province, Dec. 16, 2020. Deep in the Xianghongdian Reservoir area in Jinzhai County of Luan City, east China's Anhui Province, there is an isolated island, which used to be home to over 40 poor families. Yu Jiajun, 42, is the only doctor in the village. "In the past, there was no health station on the island. Villagers had to row a boat for two or three hours to go to the health center in Mabu Township to see the doctor." Yu said. When Yu Jiajun returned to the village after graduating from health school in 1999, the local government built a simple plank house for him on the water as a health station. In order to visit his patients on the island, Yu and his wife set up their home on a wooden boat, named "Island Health Station". In recent years, many changes have taken place on the island. The station has been rebuilt and Yu's wooden boat has also been replaced with a safer iron one. Meanwhile, poor households in the village have gradually lifted themselves out of poverty. However, Yu still need to drive his boat to make a visit, as he has been always doing in the past 21 years. Although most of the young people on the island went out to work, Yu Jiajun decided to stay. He said that as long as the villagers need him, he won't go anywhere. In 2020, Yu Jiajun was honored as national role model worker. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)