"Usually, when we need to seek such treatment, we have to go to the county hospital. But this time, the experts came especially for us. Both diagnosis and medication are free. I'm very grateful."

The doctors were invited by the China Hearts program, a public welfare service first launched in 2008, which brings doctors from hospitals in major cities, primarily Beijing, to remote regions of China.

For the program's 2023 edition, a total of 453 medical experts and more than 100 volunteers arrived in Chamdo to provide local residents with free medical support including consultations, health checkups and treatment.

From July 7 to 14, the doctors and volunteers were divided into multiple teams and allocated to the city's 11 districts and counties.

Among them, a team of approximately 30 took a six-hour bus ride along mountain roads to Zogang county, an area that sits mostly at an altitude of around 4,000 meters.

According to Tashi Drolma, deputy head of Zogang county, the county has a total of 144 healthcare facilities, but there is only one county-level hospital and the vast majority of the rest are village clinics.