“Good Deeds in China” Kicks Off in Longyan, Fujian to Advance the Goal of Zero Thalassemia

“Good Deeds in China” Kicks Off in Longyan, Fujian to Advance the Goal of Zero Thalassemia 

As the earth awakens and everything comes back to life, spring is not only a change of seasons but also a new beginning granted by nature. In this vibrant season, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation sets out once again.

On March 15, the Foundation’s “Good Deeds in China” initiative arrived in Longyan, Fujian Province, joining hands with renowned experts from Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and Fujian Children’s Hospital to provide free medical consultations and training sessions. The program included a special workshop on the diagnosis and treatment of thalassemia for local healthcare professionals, supporting the region’s thalassemia prevention and control efforts.

This event was organized by the Beijing Jingyan Foundation, with strong support from Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center Fujian Hospital (Fujian Children’s Hospital), and Longyan First Hospital.

Jingyan Sets Out Again, Lighting Up Hope for Children with Thalassemia 

Thalassemia, commonly known as “Di Pin” (in Chinese), is an inherited hemolytic anemia caused by gene mutations or deletions that lead to reduced or absent synthesis of globin chains. It has been listed by the World Health Organization as one of the six most common genetic disorders threatening human health.

According to statistics, around 345 million people worldwide carry thalassemia genes, with about 30 million carriers in China and approximately 300,000 patients diagnosed with intermediate or severe forms of the disease. Once diagnosed with severe thalassemia, patients face not only life-threatening health challenges and reduced quality of life, but their families and society also bear heavy psychological and financial burdens.

Since 2018, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation has launched the Building Love for Thalassemia Action project, focusing on both treatment and prevention. The Foundation actively provides medical and financial assistance to children with thalassemia living in difficult circumstances, while also promoting public awareness and education on thalassemia prevention and control in high-prevalence regions.

Building on years of dedicated efforts in thalassemia relief, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation launched the Healthy China Tour in 2023. Through this initiative, the Foundation brought high-quality medical resources to regions with high incidences of thalassemia, offering free medical consultations and screenings, as well as professional training for local healthcare workers on thalassemia prevention and treatment. The program has helped strengthen the professional capacity of grassroots doctors and supported local governments in implementing effective thalassemia control policies.

By the end of 2024, the Healthy China Tour had completed eight missions across three thalassemia-prone provinces — Yunnan, Guizhou, and Hainan — providing 15 free clinics for more than 1,000 children and their families, and on-site training sessions for approximately 700 local doctors.

In 2025, under the dual strategy of “treating existing patients and preventing new cases,” the initiative underwent a comprehensive upgrade and was officially renamed “Good Deeds in China.” Moving forward, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation will continue to expand its support for children battling severe thalassemia, while strengthening collaboration with local governments to curb the spread of the disease at its source and help communities across China move toward a future of zero thalassemia.

The Ninth Stop of “Good Deeds in China”: Longyan, Fujian

Longyan City in Fujian Province is one of the typical high-prevalence regions for thalassemia in southern China. In recent years, thanks to the continued advancement of thalassemia prevention and control efforts, public awareness has gradually improved. However, gaps remain in people’s understanding of the genetic patterns and prevention measures of the disease. In particular, among couples of childbearing age, rural populations, and residents in remote areas, participation in screening and intervention programs remains low — resulting in the risk of births with severe thalassemia not being fully eliminated.

At the same time, as an old revolutionary base area located in the western mountainous region of Fujian and at the junction of Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangxi provinces, Longyan still faces relative shortages in medical resources in some areas.

To accelerate Longyan’s progress toward a “zero thalassemia” goal, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation, together with a team of medical experts, visited the city to strengthen assistance for children suffering from severe thalassemia and to support local authorities in implementing a three-tier prevention strategy covering pre-marital and pre-pregnancy screening, prenatal prevention, and early diagnosis and treatment for affected children. This marks the ninth stop of the “Good Deeds in China” initiative and the first stop in 2025.

Dual Approach: Expert Consultations and Medical Training to Prevent and Control Thalassemia and Promote Shared Health

On the morning of March 15, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation, in collaboration with Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and its Fujian branch (Fujian Provincial Children’s Hospital), held a multidisciplinary free clinic at the Branch Hospital of Longyan First People’s Hospital in Fujian Province.

In the outpatient hall, more than forty patients arrived with their families for consultations. Among them were ten-year-old children whose conditions were life-threatening, toddlers already showing the physical characteristics of thalassemia, and expectant mothers seeking advice. To attend this free clinic, some families had set out as early as six in the morning, while others had traveled over 400 kilometers from Nanping to reach the hospital.

The experts participating in the “Good Deeds in China” patiently provided medical consultations and treatment to every patient who came for help. They carefully answered questions, conducted physical examinations, reviewed medical records, and offered tailored treatment advice based on each patient’s condition. Local primary care doctors from Longyan also took part in the clinic, actively learning from the expert team throughout the event.

Preliminary statistics show that 10 of the children seen at the clinic were classified as severe cases. The Beijing Jingyan Foundation will continue to follow up on their treatment.

On the afternoon of March 15, to strengthen the diagnostic and treatment skills of Longyan’s primary care doctors and enhance the quality of care for thalassemia patients, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation organized a thalassemia training session. The program featured lectures by Director Wang Xiaodong from Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and Professor Wang Chengyi from Fujian Children’s Hospital. They covered key topics including thalassemia prevention, patient management, and timing for transplantation. More than 30 local primary care doctors attended the training.

According to the event schedule, staff and volunteers from the Beijing Jingyan Foundation will spend the following days visiting surrounding towns and villages, meeting thalassemia patients in person, and assessing the actual needs of the children and their families.

Joining Hands Toward “Zero Thalassemia”

Promoting the prevention and eventual eradication of thalassemia has always been a long-term goal of the Building Love for Thalassemia Action project. As one of the earliest organizations in China dedicated to assisting children with thalassemia, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation has, over the years, actively provided support to children in need, helping a total of 1,412 patients and granting over 55.7 million RMB in aid. This work has earned widespread recognition from both families and society at large.

Having worked for many years in supporting children with thalassemia, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation has gained deep insight into the core needs of patients, grassroots doctors, and local governments. Leveraging its extensive network of partners, the Foundation has organized top-tier domestic medical teams to participate in the “Good deeds in China” series of activities.

At the same time, the Foundation actively pilots the Zero Thalassemia Plan in high-prevalence regions, firmly implementing a dual-track strategy of “treating existing patients and preventing new cases.” The initiative provides substantial support to current patients with severe thalassemia while assisting local governments in implementing prevention and control policies, aiming to block the transmission of thalassemia at its source.

Achieving Zero Thalassemia has always been the long-term goal of the Building Love for Thalassemia Action and a key focus of the Beijing Jingyan Foundation. In the days ahead, the Good Deeds in China activities will reach more regions, working with more caring partners to help more families overcome thalassemia and to support local governments in accelerating prevention and control efforts, bringing China closer to realizing Zero Thalassemia.