A member of a Chinese medical team prepares a patient for his eye surgery at the Samarkand Branch of the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Eye Microsurgery in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 10, 2026. (Xinhua/Zafar Khalilov)

Members of a Chinese medical team perform a cataract operation for a local patient at the Samarkand Branch of the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Eye Microsurgery in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 10, 2026. (Xinhua/Zafar Khalilov)

Medical staff from China and Uzbekistan take care of a patient after his cataract operation at the Samarkand Branch of the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Eye Microsurgery in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 10, 2026. (Xinhua/Zafar Khalilov)

A medical worker communicates with a local patient and the patient's family members at the Samarkand Branch of the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Eye Microsurgery in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 10, 2026. (Xinhua/Zafar Khalilov)

Sitting in a chair in the corridor outside the operating room of the Samarkand Branch of the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Eye Microsurgery, Aishat Abdurakhmanova still had gauze over one eye.

Abdurakhmanova, a Samarkand resident, is one of hundreds of patients benefiting from this year's "Journey to Sight: Health Express in Uzbekistan" program.

Earlier this month, the International Health Exchange and Cooperation Center of China's National Health Commission dispatched a medical team from Peking University People's Hospital to Samarkand for the fifth time. The team plans to perform 300 free cataract operations, demonstrate surgeries for complex cases involving glaucoma, corneal disease and other conditions, and conduct academic exchanges with local doctors.

"By the fifth day of surgery, we have already completed more than 200 operations. We are ahead of schedule," said Bao Yongzhen, deputy director of the Department of Ophthalmology at Peking University People's Hospital.

This is Bao's third visit to Samarkand and her sixth to Uzbekistan. From Tashkent to Samarkand, and from Bukhara to Urgench, the list of places she has visited has grown with each passing year. As of 2025, the Health Express medical team had performed free cataract surgeries on thousands of patients in Uzbekistan.

In the hospital's clinical area, most of the patients waiting for examinations were elderly. Holding medical records and test reports, they sat quietly on green benches, patiently waiting for their names to be called.

Saodat Khudakulova was among them. She said her ophthalmologist had recommended that she seek treatment from the Chinese doctors. If the operation went smoothly and she recovered well, she might no longer need to wear glasses -- a prospect that filled her with hope.

"We are truly grateful to the Chinese medical staff. They have come here, far from their families, to help us, and that is not easy," Khudakulova said.

In the preoperative preparation area, Ma Jie, a nurse from Peking University People's Hospital, administered pupil-dilating eye drops to a patient.

"Each patient's condition is different and requires a thorough assessment. Surgery can only be scheduled once all required checks have been completed and the results meet the necessary criteria," Ma said.

Botir Tukhtaev, director of the Samarkand Branch of the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center for Eye Microsurgery, said that he and his Chinese partners have been working together since their first collaboration in 2019.

When the Chinese specialists first visited seven years ago, the hospital's doctors were not yet fully proficient in the technique, but now they can perform the procedure independently, he added.

On every visit, the Chinese team holds academic exchanges, shares videos of complex cases, conducts joint consultations and provides hands-on instruction in surgical techniques, Tukhtaev said, adding that several local doctors have also visited Peking University People's Hospital for study and training.

"During this round of cooperation, we have also worked closely together on surgeries for other eye diseases, including glaucoma," Tukhtaev said. "We are very satisfied with our cooperation with Chinese partners and hope to deepen it in the future."