Saving lives is routine for Zhong and his team. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The equipment was rudimentary, and doctors had to diagnose based on their skill and observation.

On this occasion, the patient was saved but he was pretty sure that he was the only anesthetist in the hospital and probably the whole city.

Then it became apparent the scourge of famine had hit the area in 2005.

"Death from starvation was becoming more common and we could do little to prevent it. The doctors were depressed at their inability to save lives."

Doctors themselves had little to eat, just sweet potatoes.

"Even in the deepest frustration, we harvested hope from humanity," he said as many patients shared their precious peanuts and pumpkins.

Some of them even dedicated their amulets, usually made of fur or leather, making doctors feel truly blessed.

With seven of eight operations each day, the work took a toll and he fell to malaria.

"What I suffered is quite ordinary in Niger. Human beings are all equal before disaster and misfortune, that's why we help each other" he said modestly.