The year 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of China's inland provinces and state-owned enterprises' aiding Tibet. During the past decades, billions have been invested in infrastructure, enterprises and public service in order to develop the Tibet Autonomous Region.

As one of the most important parts of aiding Tibet, medical and public health services have always been considered as a priority. Not only the inland provinces and central state-owned enterprises have aiding Tibet task, many non-governmental organizations, charities even individuals also invest tremendous effort in helping Tibetan patients suffering from endemic diseases, such as congenital heart disease (CHD), cataract, kashin-beck disease and so on.

Tibetan children patients of congenital heart diseases draw the most widespread attention. Various medical activities and charity clinics have been conducted to screen children patients with CHD, and free surgeries and treatments have been provided to those who are eligible.

"I don't know what congenital heart disease is, but I know mum will stop weeping for me if I can be cured", said Pema Yangjen, an 11-year-old Tibetan girl of less than 1.2 meters in height and less than 20 kilograms in weight due to the disease.

The little girl's wish has come true when she received a surgery in Beijing accompanied by her mother, and she is not the only one. Every year, dozens of Chinese inland cities, hospitals and charitable organizations join together to help Tibetan children with congenital heart disease and provide them with free treatment.

All the children have undergone several expert examinations to design specific treatment plans, and doctors are working to figure out the best treatment. Some of the children have not large heart defect and are suitable for interventional treatment, a kind of minimally invasive surgery with less risk and allows patients to quickly recover, whiles others will have more conventional operations.

With medical aids from everywhere of inland China, thousands of children patients with CHD in Tibet have been cured and could live healthily like other children of same age. Those children patients have gone home with healthy hearts and beautiful and bright smiles have returned back on their and their family's faces.

Due to the high altitude and severe climate of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, local children are much easier to get congenital heart disease than those in other areas of China. Statistics show Tibet has over 10,000 children with congenital heart disease, all of whom would be cured sooner or later with various helps. Aimed to help them for free treatments, a series of aiding projects and charity projects have been conducted, such as public benefit projects entitled "Chinese heart" and "For our children" launched by China Charity Federation.

 
File photo shows that a child with congenital heart disease from Lhundrup County,Tibet arrived in the Chengdu Military Command General Hospital, to accept the surgical treatment. (Photo/Chinanews) 

 
Photo shows that staffs from the Chinese Red Cross Foundation send these Tibetan children with CHD back home in Namling County, Shigatze Prefecture of Tibet. Having received free surgeries in the Armed Police General Hospital in Beijing, ten Tibetan children with congenital heart disease (CHD) from Shigatze Prefecture, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, went back home after recovery. Since the Chinese Red Cross Foundation (CRCF) is one of the sponsors of their free treatment, staffs from CRCF paid a return visit to Tibet with these children. [Photo/Xinhua] 

 
File photo shows that Tenzin Drolkar, a patient with congenital heart disease is phoning her father to tell him she is fine when the train arrives at Beijing. [Photo/Xinhua]  

 
File photo shows that a doctor is checking the little patient after surgery. Currently, People's Hospital of Tibet Autonomous Region has provided free surgery to 30 kids with congenital heart disease (CHD) from Nagqu Prefecture, Lhoka Prefecture, Shigatze Prefecture, Lhasa and other places in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, reported by Xinhua. [Photo/Xinhua]

 
File photo shows that a Tibetan girl presents Khada to a doctor for saving her life out of congenital heart disease.[Photo/ China Tibet Online]