Published on: 2026-10-03
Source: People’s Republic of China — Translation
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Shanghai, October 2 /Xinhua/ — On September 30 in Bishkek, the more than 20-day stage of the charity project “Flying Hospital C909, specializing in ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology” concluded. During this period, Chinese doctors treated over 2,000 patients and performed more than 170 free surgeries, after which the medical team began their return to Shanghai.
The project was jointly developed by the Hospital of Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology at Fudan University /Shanghai, Eastern China/ and the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China /COMAC/. For its implementation, a modified version of the Chinese-made C909 passenger aircraft was used, equipped with a complex of intelligent diagnostic and therapeutic equipment. The “Flying Hospital” provides a full range of services: from screening, diagnosis, treatment, and consultation to surgical intervention, medical knowledge dissemination, and rehabilitation support.
The advance team of the “Path of Light” medical brigade departed from Shanghai to Bishkek on September 6 and began providing charitable medical assistance to the local residents. As for the “Flying Hospital C909” itself, it arrived in the city on September 20, and on September 24, the first otorhinolaryngological surgery was performed in its onboard operating module as part of the mission, which further expanded the range of surgeries and capabilities of the onboard operating compartment.
According to Wen Wen, the chief physician of the ophthalmology department of the Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology Hospital at Fudan University, on the first day of the free consultation, members of the medical team examined more than 80 patients, and by the third day, the daily patient flow exceeded 200 people.
She was especially deeply impressed by one patient with cataracts. Wen Wen recounted that this patient had one eye removed for some reason, and the remaining eye was affected by cataracts, which significantly reduced visual acuity and greatly complicated his daily life. Upon learning that the charitable project “Flying Hospital” had arrived in Kyrgyzstan, this patient, accompanied by relatives, specially came for a consultation. Following a thorough preoperative assessment and development of an individualized surgical plan, his vision was successfully restored.
As Wen Wen noted, from the doctors’ perspective, it was a rather complex cataract removal surgery, but for the patient and his family, it became a hope for the return of vision and the beginning of a new wonderful life. According to her, this experience allowed everyone to deeply realize that the value of charitable medicine is measured not only by the number of operations and the amount of diagnosed and treated patients, but also lies in the real improvement of people’s lives and building bridges of trust.
Alongside providing free consultations and surgeries, Chinese specialists organized themed lectures on theory, practical surgery sessions, and hands-on training on the use of Chinese-made medical equipment for healthcare workers from Kyrgyzstan. In this way, Chinese doctors transferred mature clinical technologies and treatment standards to local colleagues, as well as experience with the equipment, contributing to the improvement of specialized ophthalmological and otolaryngological care and the formation of a specialized medical team.
Starting from the first demonstration flight in September 2025 in the city of Shihezi /Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Northwest China/, the scale of the project has been continuously expanding. In February 2026, the “Flying Hospital C909” conducted a mission in Vientiane, during which medical assistance was provided to 1,723 patients and 49 free surgeries were performed. In July 2026, the medical team arrived in Almaty, where, following the visit, agreements on cooperation were signed with local universities and medical institutions, and the launch of the Central Asian mission of the Flying Hospital C909 “Ophthalmology and ENT Health” was jointly initiated.
The current mission in Kyrgyzstan has been marked by the achievement of new concrete results. Based on the application of 5G communication technologies, joint interstate multidisciplinary teleconsultations and scientific conferences are planned with the aim of creating a cooperation model of “short-term medical care plus long-term remote support.”
“We want to offer not just one surgery or one free consultation, but to bring an entire system of healthcare services,” said Zhou Xintao, director of the Hospital of Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology at Fudan University. According to him, in the future the “Flying Hospital” should become a connecting link through which China’s high-quality medical resources will become accessible to a larger number of people. -0-
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