Over 1,000 children in Xinjiang to receive free heart surgeries

BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- A program initiated by the Chinese Red Cross Foundation (CRCF) will provide free surgeries for 1,056 children from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region with congenital heart diseases (CHDs).

The CRCF, together with several hospitals in Shanghai, Beijing and the provinces of Henan and Shandong, dispatched six groups of medical experts to carry out CHD screening for children in 14 locations in Xinjiang between March 24 and April 18.

A total of 1,056 child patients were found to be suitable for operations and qualified for the charity funds provided by the CRCF.

The long-term program has provided CHD screening for more than 15,000 children in Xinjiang and completed free operations for eligible patients, said Bei Xiaochao, chairman of the CRCF.

Ning Bin, vice director of the Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, participated in the program and said the hospital began treatment work immediately, with 19 child patients arriving in Shandong to undergo surgeries free-of-charge.