Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital Delegation Visits Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). At the end of August, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan and paid a state visit there, injecting strong momentum into practical health cooperation between China and Central Asian nations. Under the Belt and Road Initiative and the vision of building a Global Community of Health for All, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, affiliated with Zhejiang University School of Medicine (SRRSH), has been actively advancing our “medicine going global” strategy.

From August 23 to 30, an SRRSH delegation of minimally invasive surgery specialists visited the University Medical Center (UMC) at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan and the International Higher School of Medicine (IHSM) in Kyrgyzstan. The team conducted live minimally invasive surgical demonstrations, consultations on complex cases and academic lectures, and signed memoranda of understanding with Astana Medical University (AMU) and IHSM respectively. In parallel, a delegation from Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital Alaer Hospital — the first national regional medical center in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps — visited Osh State University and its affiliated hospital in Kyrgyzstan.

As early as January, a four-member delegation representing the president of IHSM had visited SRRSH. Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and SRRSH President Professor Cai Xiujun, Vice Chairman of the Hospital Council Professor Yu Hong and other experts held in-depth exchanges with the Kyrgyz side, laying the groundwork for this successful visit.

During the visit, SRRSH signed MOUs with AMU and IHSM, deepening cooperation in healthcare, medical education, scientific research and innovation, and jointly planning an international joint diagnostic and treatment center. Leveraging SRRSH’s strengths in minimally invasive medicine, telemedicine and refined management, the two sides plan to cultivate high-caliber local medical professionals through regular remote multidisciplinary consultations, expert exchanges and standardized clinical training. This marks a shift from one-way technology export toward bidirectional research collaboration and platform co-construction.

At UMC, Vice President and senior consultant urologist Dr. Ding Guoqing performed a minimally invasive radical left nephrectomy on a 66-year-old woman with a 6.0 × 6.5 cm renal mass adherent to the spleen. The procedure, completed in just one hour with minimal blood loss, drew praise from local doctors. Dr. Li Zheyong, Assistant to the President of the Shaoxing Campus, demonstrated a challenging bariatric procedure and a hepatic hemangioma operation, guiding Kazakh surgeons on site. Months earlier, he had performed a remote surgery from Belarus on a patient in Xinjiang using a domestic robot and 5G technology.

In Bishkek, Professor Fu Guosheng, Director of Cardiology, completed multiple complex percutaneous coronary interventions, including one using drug-coated balloon technology for the circumflex artery, realizing “intervention without implantation.” He opened two chronic total occlusions in under an hour, prompting applause from local physicians who called his technique and skills “magic.” Dr. Jiang Chenyang, Deputy Director of Cardiology, provided consultations for patients with atrial fibrillation and on-site guidance for transesophageal echocardiography. SRRSH’s cardiology department and IHSM reached a preliminary cooperation intention to bring China’s mature cardiovascular expertise to the region.

This visit underscores SRRSH’s commitment to advancing the “Health Silk Road” and delivering Chinese medical expertise to the world.