Doctors from Shenzhen provide healthcare services to villagers on Pamir Plateau

Pan Qian (C), a doctor from Shenzhen, hugs an elder in Wayaoben Village of Kukexiluge Township, Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County is on the eastern slope of the Pamir Plateau, with an average altitude of over 4,000 meters. The region has towering mountains, deep valleys, and scattered villages.

To better meet the medical needs of farmers and herdsmen, medical staff from Shenzhen regularly visit the rural areas in Taxkorgan under a paired assistance program and provide healthcare services to local villagers.

Early in the morning, seven doctors from Shenzhen set off from the county seat of Taxkorgan, navigating rugged and winding mountain roads for over two hours before arriving at Kukexiluge Township.

The medical team, consisting of specialists in critical care, neonatology, internal medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine rehabilitation, provided consultations, health check-ups, and health education to more than a hundred villagers. They exchanged expertise with local healthcare workers. To accommodate newborns, elderly patients, and those with limited mobility, the doctors also made home visits to deliver medical care.

Since the launch of a new round of paired assistance programs in 2010, eleven batches of Shenzhen medical teams have been dispatched to Taxkorgan County. These efforts focus on technical assistance, knowledge transfer, and improving public healthcare services. A total of 135 million yuan (about 18.58 million U.S. dollars) in aid funds has been allocated to support local medical projects.

Duan Jing (L), a doctor from Shenzhen, takes the pulse of a villager during a home visit in Wayaoben Village of Kukexiluge Township, Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Hongyan)

An ambulance carrying doctors from Shenzhen heads for Kukexiluge Township in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

Liu Jinhuang (1st R), a doctor from Shenzhen, examines a villager at Kukexiluge health center in Kukexiluge Township, Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Hongyan)

An aerial drone photo taken on March 24, 2025 shows Kukexiluge health center and nearby villages in Kukexiluge Township, Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

Doctors from Shenzhen make a home visit to an elder in Wayaoben Village of Kukexiluge Township, Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

Duan Jing, a traditional Chinese medicine rehabilitation doctor from Shenzhen, demonstrates acupuncture treatment to local doctors at a hospital in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 25, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Hongyan)

Zhang Qiang (R), a physician from Shenzhen, takes the pulse of a villager at Kukexiluge health center in Kukexiluge Township, Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

Pan Qian (C) and Xu Linsen (R), doctors from Shenzhen, examine a baby in Wayaoben Village of Kukexiluge Township, Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

Xu Linsen (L), a doctor from Shenzhen, analyzes a patient's condition with a local doctor at Kukexiluge health center in Kukexiluge Township, Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

Huang Weichao (2nd L), a physician from Shenzhen, measures the blood pressure for a villager at Kukexiluge health center in Kukexiluge Township, Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Xu Hongyan)

Huang Weichao (C), a physician from Shenzhen, tells a doctor from Kukexiluge health center about the dosage of a patient's medication in Kukexiluge Township, Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

Pan Qian (1st L), a doctor from Shenzhen, talks with villagers and local medical staff at Kukexiluge health center in Kukexiluge Township, Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)