Zhang Jinzhe, a doctor who starts China’s pediatric surgery and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering [Photo/Xinhua]

In the clinical room of Beijing Children`s Hospital, a 98-year papa performs magic tricks for kidsevery week. His name is Zhang Jinzhe, and he is the doctor who startedChina’s pediatric surgery and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Zhang began China’s pediatric surgery at Peking University First Hospital in 1950. He identified and controlled the subcutaneous gangrene of newborns that had a high mortality rate at that time. His care and love for his little patients inspired China’s pediatrics practice and make it internationally recognized.

His 15,000 appendectomies for children in three decades had not a single mortality and 100 consecutive cases of acute strangulated intestinal obstruction in infants had no death. Although Zhang is at an old age, he still offers clinic consultancy and makes bedside visits every week. For him, even great honor can’t match the feeling of being with children and their calling him“a magic performing papa”.

Zhang said that a good pediatrician must be a doctor who loves children.

Zhou Nan(2nd from the left), a doctor who build a hematology and rheumatology department at the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Hospital [Photo/Xinhua]

Zhou Nan, who is 70 years younger than Zhang, also dedicates herself to medical services.

In 2007, while still a student of Peking Union Medical College, Zhou traveled to Burang county of the Tibet autonomous region. She talked with a local villager and learned that an old man had pneumonia and was dying, but didn’t know what medicine he should take. Zhou visited the old man and prescribed treatment which led to his recovery.

During her time in the Tibet region Zhou found that there no doctors at all in remote areas. “The Tibet trip made me determined to stay there after graduation,” Zhou said.

Despite the opposition of her professors, classmates and family, she fulfilled her dream of being a doctor in Tibet.

After nine years of working in Tibet, Zhou and her team have received 60,000 clinical patients and build a hematology and rheumatology department at the Tibet Autonomous Region People’s Hospital, the first such department in the region.

“I can save more lives in Tibet,”said Zhou.

She also provided medical services in a village at the China-Nepal border for one year.

On Aug 19, 2016, President Xi Jinping appraised medical workers’ great work at a national health assembly and said love, dedication, respect and saving lives together make up the spirit of China’s medical workers.