STORY: China-Vietnam cross-border medical aid channel offers lifeline to patients
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 13, 2023
DATELINE: Dec. 15, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:27
LOCATION: NANNING, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the border
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): HUANG DEJIN, Director of People's Hospital of Dongxing City, Guangxi
3. various of patients
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): Tang's brother
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): TANG WEI, Officer at a local immigration inspection station
6. various of medical personnel

STORYLINE:

A cross-border medical aid channel between China and Vietnam has offered a lifeline to patients from the two countries. 

Opening in 2016 and named after a boundary stone, the "1369" rescue passage in Dongxing City, south China's Guangxi facilitates customs services for people in need of urgent medical assistance in Vietnam. 

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): HUANG DEJIN, Director of People's Hospital of Dongxing City, Guangxi
"Time is critical for saving lives. Every minute and every second are important. Therefore, the '1369' medical aid channel we undertake primarily focuses on the transfer of critically ill patients, aiming to cut the transit time."

Mr. Tang recently suffered a stroke during his trip to Vietnam. He was transferred to the People's Hospital of Dongxing City in time and received treatment here, thanks to the rescue passage.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): Tang's brother
"They immediately launched the 'green channel.' And an ambulance was waiting at the border."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): TANG WEI, Officer at a local immigration inspection station
"Before the ambulance arrives at the border, we have already dispatched personnel to wait for the patient. Once the patient arrives, we will organize customs checks in no time. The entire process generally takes no more than two minutes, because in matters of saving lives, every second counts."

To date, the "1369" rescue passage has provided services for over 500 patients in severe conditions, with a significant portion of those being Vietnamese nationals.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Nanning, China.
(XHTV)