With support from the Children’s Medical Foundation and the Kerry Group Kuok Foundation, the “Every Baby Rescued” Program officially launched in Dingxi People’s Hospital, Gansu. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Opening & Neonatal Resuscitation & Emergency Baby Care (NRE) program on December 6 marked a critical milestone toward improving newborn survival in the region.
Dingxi: A Critical Need
The 2023 benchmark study highlights the urgent need to strengthen neonatal care in Dingxi. The city has over 2 million people but only 117 neonatal doctors and 140 neonatal nurses. Asphyxia accounts for 27% of neonatal deaths, and the referral system remains underdeveloped.
How the EBR Program Addresses Local Needs
Step 1 of EBR — Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) — provides 18 months of comprehensive support to strengthen Dingxi People’s Hospital’s neonatal critical care. From December 2024 to June 2025, the first cohort of medical staff trained at Children’s Hospital of Fudan University for six months. Upon returning, they quickly applied their new knowledge in clinical care for high-risk newborns. Moving forward, the hospital will use project donations and self-funded equipment to establish or upgrade the NICU, continuously improving local neonatal care capacity.
First Life-Saving Moment After Returning from Training
After completing training at Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, Dr. Liu Mei immediately put her skills into saving baby’s life. A critically ill newborn was admitted to the NICU in the early hours, alarms sounding repeatedly, and the parents on the verge of despair. Using her training in drug dosing, ventilator adjustments, and team coordination, she helped stabilize the baby, who was eventually discharged in good health.
On the day of discharge, the family presented a pennant reading: “With benevolence and skill you warmed a child’s heart; with angelic hands you protected a fragile life.” Dr. Liu Mei said: “This pennant is light yet heavy. It belongs to our team and also to the period in Children’s Hospital of Fudan University that illuminated my path. I’m grateful to the Foundation for lighting the way, so I can guide more children safely home.”
Local Trainers Lead the Way
Step 2 — Neonatal Resuscitation & Emergency Care (NRE), six clinicians from Dingxi People’s Hospital completed instructor training at Children’s Hospital of Fudan University in September, becoming the region’s first certified NRP trainers. This round of training was led by them, with full-course supervision from the neonatal department of Director Zhang Lan at the Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, ensuring strong clinical relevance and hands-on quality.
Through scenario-based simulations and hands-on drills, the training emphasized rapid-response skills during the critical “Golden Minute” after birth. The Foundation provided teaching tools, mannequins, and updated training materials to support the establishment of a sustainable, independently operated training system in Dingxi.
Giving Every Newborn a Stronger Start
The Every Baby Rescued – Dingxi Program is now fully underway. Through strengthened training, essential equipment support, and local capacity building, we are working together to provide every newborn in Gansu with a safer, stronger start. Dingxi is also one of the 102 program sites developed through CMF’s National Neonatal Network, which collectively admits one newborn every 17 minutes, delivering life-saving care across the country.