in kunyu, a newly-built city on the southern edge of the taklimakan desert in northwest china, yu lijuan is the only pediatrician in town.
yu was sent by the beijing municipality to work in the city in southern xinjiang uygur autonomous region under a "pairing assistance" program through which financial, technical and talent support in various fields have been channeled to xinjiang from other regions of china.
china has been implementing the "pairing assistance" program in xinjiang since 1997. in 2010, a new round of pairing assistance was launched, involving central and state organs, centrally administered state-owned enterprises, and 19 provinces and municipalities.
since then, around 17,000 talents and cadres have come from afar to aid xinjiang. the region has eradicated extreme poverty under the nationwide program.
despite the harsh working conditions near the vast desert, yu is determined to pass on her expertise to local doctors. "my goal is to help build a sound pediatric department so that children here can have easier access to medical care," yu said.
