Palestinian doctor wins and treats hearts of children

Mahmoud Alsalehi sanitized his hands before walking toward the sickbed of a young patient, gently shaking a toy to delight the 1-year-old who just had surgery for congenital heart disease.

When the child relaxed, Alsalehi leaned down carefully, put a stethoscope on the child's chest, and listened to the heart.

As a well-loved doctor, Alsalehi is called "Uncle Lao Ma", a nickname derived from the first syllable of his given name.

Ma literally means horse in Chinese, which represents diligence. "I like this name, and it makes me feel very close to the kids," he says.

Alsalehi, 39, who hails from Palestine, now works as the director of Pediatric Cardiology II and Pediatric ICU Department in TEDA International Cardiovascular Hospital in North China's Tianjin Municipality.

During his training at a children's hospital in Canada, Alsalehi got the chance to work for the TEDA hospital in August 2019.

"I accepted immediately. China is a very close friend to Palestine and has helped us a lot. I hope to help more Chinese children with congenital heart disease, so I can give back to China," Alsalehi says.

With the help of Chinese colleagues, Alsalehi soon acclimatized himself to his new working environment.

Shuttling between patients' sickbeds, screening and monitoring their heart conditions, reviewing the echocardiogram and checking their nursing records, Alsalehi and his colleagues are always busy making tailored medical and surgical plans for each child.

"I often joke around and say that my colleagues are like 'motors' that work ceaselessly. I really admire these dedicated Chinese doctors who are considerate to their patients," Alsalehi says.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, pediatric patients had to stay in the ICU alone after their surgeries. Without their parents' company, they were prone to loneliness and anxiety, a major concern for doctors.

Pediatric doctors, including Alsalehi, racked their brains to find ways to console the young patients.

"Even though I cannot speak too much Chinese, I try my best to express my kindness through smiles and eye contact," Alsalehi says, adding that he treated them as his own children.

Since 2004, the hospital has worked with local authorities and plenty of charities to carry out dozens of projects to provide free surgeries for children with congenital heart disease from poor families.

Their surgery expenses are completely covered by charity projects, which have already reached 24 provincial-level regions of the country.

In the future, Alsalehi plans to go back to Palestine and build a professional pediatric cardiology team. "I hope to do something for my people and my country. The experience I gain in China will definitely be useful."