Uhas Sulayman: The doctor on horseback

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Most doctors spend their careers in hospitals, but Uhas Sulayman, recipient of the July 1 Medal, spent much of his on horseback.

After graduating from medical school in 1975, he chose to work in the remote pastoral areas of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where doctors were desperately needed.

Carrying a medicine box, he rode across mountains and grasslands to reach herders living far from clinics.

Over the decades, Uhas has made more than 100,000 patient visits, helped deliver over 3,200 babies and treated countless families. Even after retiring in 2015, he returned to work just days later because, as he put it, "I could not leave the herders behind."

Today, at 71, he still offers free medical services and has also launched a volunteer health program to bring care to more remote communities. "As a doctor, doing my best to protect people's health is enough," he said.

For the families living across the grasslands, the sound of hoofbeats has long meant one thing: help is on the way.

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