Aixuwakee Albuque, an eight-year-old girl with heart disease in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, recently received free surgery that cured her of her ailment.

Using 45,000 yuan ($6,300) from the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, the Soong Ching Ling Women and Children Hospital (Xinjiang) gave free operations to three children of the Uygur, Kazak and Kirgiz ethnic groups.

Local officials said Xinjiang has some 150,000 poor children suffering from heart disease who are waiting for free operations.

(Xinjiang Economic Daily via China Daily February 1, 2008)