Profile: A village doctor's 16 years of dedication on crutches

Yin Chuanbo is seen on his way to a patient's residence in Guzhen Village, Wangying Township, central China's Hubei Province, on Aug. 17, 2022. On a hot afternoon, Yin Chuanbo paid a home visit to his patient, a granny who lives halfway up a hill. After taking her blood pressure and prescribing medicine, he walked down more than 50 steps from her home to the roadside with the aid of a crutch, an effort that left his white coat wet with sweat.(Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

WUHAN, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- On a hot afternoon, Yin Chuanbo paid a home visit to his patient, a granny who lives halfway up a hill. After taking her blood pressure and prescribing medicine, he walked down more than 50 steps from her home to the roadside with the aid of a crutch, an effort that left his white coat wet with sweat.

The 37-year-old village doctor has over the past 16 years provided medical services for rural residents in Guzhen Village of Wangying Township in central China's Hubei Province, despite his physical disability.

"The villagers here saw me grow up. It's worth doing more things for them," said Yin.

When Yin was 10 months old, he was diagnosed with polio but was left disabled for want of timely medical treatment. In his life, he also saw villagers suffer from illnesses because of a shortage of medical services. All these experiences made him determined to be a doctor.

After graduating from medical school in 2006, Yin returned to his hometown and opened a clinic. At first, only a few people came to the clinic as locals were skeptical about the young doctor's medical skills. Some villagers also paid on credit after seeing the doctor, which added further difficulty to his challenge of effectively running the clinic.

For a time, Yin worked as a doctor during the day and fished at night to make ends meet. "At one point, I even wanted to give up the job as a village doctor and go out to earn money," he said.

But the needs of the villagers convinced Yin to stay. In November 2007, villager Cai Qiuxia had repeated fever after giving birth at an advanced age. It was Yin's careful treatment for nearly 10 days that finally brought Cai's disease under control.

"A doctor's pursuit is to protect patients' health and earn their trust," said Yin, adding that if he left the village, he would be betraying his original aspiration of helping villagers and would be letting them down.

Over 16 years, Yin has worn out 22 crutches. Whenever villagers need him, he takes a medical kit and visits them at home regardless of the distance or weather.

Since 2014, the village doctor has set up over 700 health records for local villagers and carried out more than 2,000 follow-up visits for children, pregnant women and people with high blood pressure and diabetes. Yin has an annual income of around 40,000 yuan (about 5,800 U.S. dollars).

"Those who have been caught in the rain always want to hold an umbrella for others," said Luo Renxiao, head of the health center of Wangying Township, who speaks highly of Yin.

For Yin, the task of disease prevention and health care for the elderly in rural areas is arduous. "I will continue to work hard to be a protector of villagers' health," he said.

Yin Chuanbo rows a boat on his way to a patient's residence in Guzhen Village, Wangying Township, central China's Hubei Province, on Aug. 17, 2022. On a hot afternoon, Yin Chuanbo paid a home visit to his patient, a granny who lives halfway up a hill. After taking her blood pressure and prescribing medicine, he walked down more than 50 steps from her home to the roadside with the aid of a crutch, an effort that left his white coat wet with sweat.(Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

Yin Chuanbo (L) conducts a medical check-up for a patient at her residence in Guzhen Village, Wangying Township, central China's Hubei Province, on Aug. 17, 2022. On a hot afternoon, Yin Chuanbo paid a home visit to his patient, a granny who lives halfway up a hill. After taking her blood pressure and prescribing medicine, he walked down more than 50 steps from her home to the roadside with the aid of a crutch, an effort that left his white coat wet with sweat.(Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)