Authorities in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region plan to transform the area into a hub for international medical tourism and attract patients from across Central Asia. Cui Jia reports from Urumqi.

After undergoing surgery for breast cancer at a hospital in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Assem, from Kazakhstan, said she was confident of making a full recovery. Assem's surgeon - Xinjiang native Jenskaliya Zimu - is well-known in Kazakhstan because he has successfully operated on a number of patients from the Central Asian country.

Assem, who declined to give her surname, is one of a growing number of patients from neighboring countries, including Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, heading to China's westernmost region because the level of medical care is higher than at home.