Securing future vision for eye health

Strictly speaking

Ji Xuemei, 39, Popova's translator, has worked with her since joining the hospital in 2007.

"She is really strict at work," Ji said. "She told me that I was not allowed to translate her words for the patients before understanding them completely."

Ji said at the beginning of their partnership he couldn't count the number of times she severely criticized his poor mastery of an ophthalmologist's medical vocabulary. "However, thanks to her guidance and strict requirements, I quickly became a bridge of communication between her and her patients," he said.

In addition to treating patients at the hospital, Popova provides free diagnoses in remotes areas, treating large numbers of patients who live in 400 villages in Daqing and other cities in Heilongjiang.

As the Daqing hospital developed, it provided public information about eye health in villages, communities, factories, public institutes and kindergartens.

"It's a meaningful thing, especially for those poverty-stricken families," Popova said. "After being diagnosed with ophthalmological diseases, they can get discounts and even free treatment at our hospital, which may help them reduce the family's burden."

With the support of the central government, the hospital launched a public welfare project in 2018 that performed 100 free cataract operations on poor patients in Zhaozhou, Zhaoyuan and Lindian counties in Heilongjiang, and Dorbod Banner in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Popova is highly regarded by residents for her medical skills and dedication.

"She has forged deep friendships with countless patients," Yu said. "She often receives gifts from her patients, such as flags and flowers, and some thank her by asking for song dedications to be played on the radio."

Once during a free clinic in a village in Daqing's Datong district, Popova found a teacher named Wu Ping, who had a serious eye disease.

"She was nearly blind in her left eye because of cataracts and a pupil defect," Popova said. "But she was worried about the cost of an operation."

Popova invited Wu to the hospital and the operation on her left eye was free of charge. Wu's vision was largely restored within a month.

In a message of gratitude sent with a flag to the doctor, Wu said, "Thank you sincerely. You are an ambassador of light."

Rural progress

Popova has witnessed great changes in rural areas over the decades. "In the past, we usually treated the patients in shabby village clinics or rooms provided by villagers," she recalled. "In the winter, the indoor temperature was too low to take off our thick padded coats, even though a small stove was burning.

"Now the village clinics and hospitals have been constructed as well as those in urban areas, providing us with quite a comfortable working environment. And the improvement of villagers' living standards is also obvious."

In 2005, Popova won the Friendship Award given by the Chinese government, the highest honor for a foreign expert in China, for her contribution to medical treatments and education.

In 2008, she was awarded the title of Daqing Honorary Citizen.

In 2009 she was invited to attend the ceremony celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, in 2015 the 70th anniversary of victory in World War II and last year, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

In 2016, Popova was given permanent resident status.

"Daqing is my second home. Although I am old, I feel very happy that I still have the opportunity to serve patients. And I feel quite proud to have received so many honors that represent my hard work," she said.

"I believe the country will continue to implement targeted poverty alleviation measures and ensure that all rural residents living below the poverty line are lifted out of poverty this year. I hope to live to be 100 years old, which will give me another 20 years for my patients."