Doctors, police race to save baby's life with high-speed medical convoy

A premature baby girl has been successfully transported from a hospital in Zhengzhou to Beijing thanks to the extraordinary efforts of medical staff and police, reports the Beijing News.

The team prepares for the high-stakes transfer of the infant from Zhengzhou to Beijing on Thursday, December 13, 2018. [Photo: VCG]

Weighing only 800 grams, the preterm infant could fit into the palm of a hand when she was born in Nanyang City in Henan Province on September 10, 2018. Despite the best efforts of local medical staff, her condition deteriorated, and she was moved to a hospital in the provincial capital Zhengzhou. It was here that doctors made the recommendation that her best hope for survival would come from the medical care available at a Beijing hospital.

The tiny preterm infant lying in her incubator in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province, on Thursday, December 13, 2018. [Photo: VCG]

At around 3:20 p.m. on Thursday, a convoy carrying the baby girl set off from Zhengzhou. It was accompanied by local police in each of the three provinces that it passed through on its 700 kilometer journey. With their help, the road ahead of the convoy remained clear.

After just eight and a half hours, the convoy arrived at its destination in Beijing.

The tiny patient arrives at a hospital in Beijing on Thursday night, December 13, 2018. [Photo: IC]

The high-stakes transport operation was livestreamed by media in China. The publicity sparked a wave of donations: As of last night, 450,000 yuan (over 65,000 U.S. dollars) had been donated by members of the public eager to help the infant's family.