"We need to do something good for our society no matter how old we are," says Hu Peilan, a 97-year-old gynecologist who still insists on working six days a week to serve her patients.

Hu arrives at her clinic, a 10-square-meter room in a community service center in Zhengzhou, Henan province, in a white gown. At about 7:50 am, the elderly gray-haired doctor puts on her black glasses and gets ready to start a new day. Many patients are expected.

People come here because of her reputation for kindness and devotion to her patients.

Yue Qin, 39, a patient from Henan's Pingdingshan, makes a special trip to see a doctor and comes to Hu's clinic to share her worries.

Yue has been on medication for a long time to control the symptoms of irregular menstruation but is worried about whether the treatment could have long-term side effects and wants to know the cause of the symptoms.

Hu listens carefully and suggests a check-up in an examining room next door.

Because of her lumbar disc herniation, Hu stands up slowly with the help of her assistants. It's a painstaking movement she replicates more than 15 times a day.

Tang Liping, an assistant who has followed Hu for 26 years, says Hu is patient-oriented and views them as relatives.

"She focuses on the patients' hearts and souls during the whole process and even forgets her own pains. It is very common for her to have lunch at 3 pm because she insists on treating everyone before leaving," Tang adds.

"Patients come here because of the trust. We have the responsibility for the people who trust us," Hu says.

About five minutes later, Yue's treatment ends. Hu prescribes a drug for a 20-day course and suggests her patient undergoes a CT scan at a large hospital nearby because the community health center is not able to provide this service.