"Whenever I see a baby born safely and a pregnant woman successfully pulled through danger, I feel immensely gratified and proud." Chinese doctor Su Yong, currently on an aid mission in the Comoros, Africa, said in a recent telephone interview with reporters, "During the mission, I have witnessed many pregnant women bravely welcoming new life in extremely harsh conditions. Their courage and perseverance have deeply moved me and strengthened my resolve to fulfill my mission as a doctor."

Su Yong is a chief physician of obstetrics at the People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and served twice as a member of the Chinese medical aid team to the Comoros, in 2012 and 2022. In the Comoros, he has used his superb medical skills to help numerous newborns safely pass the first important threshold of life.

　　The "ferryman" of life

Once, a pregnant woman carrying "twins" failed to go into labor for a long time, and the entire delivery room gradually fell into tension and panic. A midwife hurriedly called the on-duty doctor, Su Yong. He walked up to the pregnant woman and sensed something was "not right" as soon as he touched her. After an ultrasound examination, the results showed that she was carrying only one child, and beside it was a uterine fibroid nearly the size of a football. "Prepare for a cesarean section; get the baby out first," Su Yong made the decision within a minute. After the baby was delivered, Su Yong performed a precise myomectomy, and in the end both mother and child were safe and sound.

File photo: Su Yong (first from left) with a mother and baby who were successfully rescued.

Among the hospital's many departments, obstetrics is the most unpredictable. Generally, professional midwives can handle routine deliveries, but amid an apparently stable labor, emergencies such as fetal distress, massive postpartum hemorrhage or abnormal fetal position can occur within a short time and rapidly endanger the lives of both the pregnant woman and the fetus.

Su Yong often has to make rapid decisions in emergency situations to ensure the safety of mother and baby. With his rich experience, Su Yong's surgical success rate is extremely high, and he is often able to avert danger at critical moments.

But in obstetrics, the best treatment is to avoid surgery as much as possible. Su Yong believes that "any surgery carries risks, such as infection, bleeding or other potential harm to the mother and baby. Both doctors and pregnant women must be aware of taking preventive measures." In the local culture, a plump figure is often regarded as a sign of health and beauty, and some pregnant women overconsume nutrients during pregnancy, causing the fetus to grow into a macrosomic baby, which increases the risk of difficult labor.

Influenced by this notion, there are also quite a few infertility patients locally; some have polycystic ovary syndrome and have been unable to conceive for many years after marriage. In such cases, Su Yong usually advises them to lose weight first and take short-course oral contraceptives to regulate menstruation, which is conducive to conception.

Su Yong is well aware of the importance of public education in improving maternal health and preventing complications. To reduce the risks of surgical intervention, he often advocates and promotes healthy concepts of pregnancy and childbirth to patients: "Maintain good eating habits, have regular prenatal checkups, engage in appropriate physical activity and ensure adequate rest."

In addition to daily outpatient consultations and surgeries, Su Yong and his team also hold free clinics and training sessions locally, teaching pregnant women and medical staff how to identify early health risks. "Our strength is limited, but being able to use our modest efforts to help even one person, I think that is very meaningful," Su Yong said.

　　Returning to the Comoros

In December 2022, Su Yong was selected as a member of the 15th Chinese medical aid team to the Comoros and went to the China-Comoros Friendship Hospital for a one-and-a-half-year overseas medical assistance assignment.

The China-Comoros Friendship Hospital is located on the island of Anjouan in the Comoros (hereinafter referred to as "Anjouan Island"), a landmark building symbolizing friendship between the two countries. The hospital covers an area of 7,200 square meters, was built with Chinese assistance and was officially handed over to the Comorian government in July 2014. After the handover, the hospital encountered many difficulties in operational management and medical technology and urgently needed external support and professional guidance.

The medical team selected five Chinese doctors to form a multidisciplinary team (MDT) for Anjouan Island and formally stationed them at the China-Comoros Friendship Hospital, with the experienced Su Yong serving as the team leader.

As a new station, this aid mission was full of hardships and challenges. The team not only had to endure natural disasters such as heavy rain and landslides, but also overcome difficulties such as water and power shortages and vehicle breakdowns. Because local residents knew little about Chinese doctors, the team also faced a problem that could not be ignored—a crisis of trust.

In the past, due to local residents' lack of trust in the hospital and inconvenient transportation, many people chose to go to Mayotte, about 60 kilometers from the coast of Anjouan Island, or even fly to Tanzania or Madagascar for treatment.

"After a brief period of adjustment, my teammates and I began performing complex and difficult surgeries and treating complicated diseases that the China-Comoros Friendship Hospital had never handled before." In obstetrics and gynecology, Su Yong and his teammates also actively carried out various complex cesarean sections, total hysterectomies, multiple uterine myomectomies and surgical treatment of infertility, performing more than ten surgeries each month.

File photo: Medical team members operating on a young patient with syndactyly, Naira.

"Our team members covered the surgical costs and provided surgery for a child with finger deformity who had long gone without effective treatment. This successful operation became a turning point in our work," Su Yong said. More and more patients are choosing the China-Comoros Friendship Hospital. Data show that the hospital's outpatient visits, inpatient admissions and surgical volumes have all increased significantly.

At the same time, in order to improve the hospital's overall medical level, the Chinese medical team, in addition to providing technical guidance to the hospital's medical staff in daily medical work, also conducted training for them through lectures in French. After mastering these new skills, hospital staff not only improved medical efficiency but also greatly enhanced treatment outcomes.

It is understood that the 15th medical aid team to the Comoros, selected by Guangxi, consists of 11 people, including 6 stationed at the El-Maarouf Hospital on Grande Comore Island and 5 at the China-Comoros Friendship Hospital on Anjouan Island. Since starting work in the Comoros in December 2022, the medical team has treated more than 10,000 patient visits in total and has carried out multiple free clinic activities in villages and communities.