SHANGHAI, 14 February 2025 – Representatives from the Philippine Consulate General, led by Consul and Acting Head of Post Francis S. Herrera, paid a visit to a one-year-and-nine-month-old Filipino child who was the recipient of a life-saving liver transplant procedure at the Renji Hospital in Shanghai.

The child had been suffering from biliary atresia, a rare liver disease that blocks bile ducts and leads to liver damage. The Consulate General representatives were happy to find that child and his father-donor, Mr. Herdie Vasquez, were recovering well after the hours-long procedure which was performed on 11 February 2025.

The consulate general representatives were met by Dr. Wang Chun Ming (Michael), Director, and Ms. Zhou Ying (Joey), Deputy Director of the Smart Hospital Development Department of Renji Hospital, as well as the doctors and nurses who were involved in the liver transplant procedure. The lead doctor who performed the operation, Renji Hospital President Dr. Xia Qiang was unfortunately on an official trip to Mongolia and was not available for the meet-and-greet.  

Consul Herrera was pleasantly surprised to discover that doctors from the Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center in Manila (CGHMC), led by Dr. Noruel Gerard Salvador and Dr. James Uy, also flew in to Shanghai to monitor the liver transplant procedure and look after the child-recipient and father-donor   The child was initially being treated at the CGHMC for his condition.

Consul Herrera expressed thanks and gratitude to the Renji Hospital and CGHMC doctors and nurses who remained vigilant in ensuring that the life-saving procedure went smoothly and the child and his father-donor were monitored closely during their recovery. As a simple gesture to wish them a quick recovery, Consul Herrera presented a bag of food items and a toy for the child to the child’s mother, Ms. Editha Delos Santos. END