A patient with a seriously diseased liver Saturday underwent an operation for transplantation at the People's Hospital of Lhasa in this capital city of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.
This is the first of its kind ever performed in Tibet and on a plateau of more than 3,700 meters above the sea level.
The operation took 13 hours.
It is difficult to perform such an operation even in plain areas and there was no related data in China nor in the rest of the world, according to Tang Jinhai, president of the hospital.
The successful operation indicated that with support from other parts of China, Tibet has forged ahead in development and application of medical technology, Tang added.
Currently, the patient is fully conscious and able to speak.
(Xinhua News Agency December 16, 2002)
