Lifeline Express is a mobile ophthalmic hospital that consists of four well-equipped 4-compartment trains and veteran ophthalmic doctors and nurses from Beijing and Hong Kong that travel throughout the country to provide free medical services to people in need. Lifeline Express trains travel year-round to provide surgeries to cataract patients in remote and poor areas including cataract removal and man-made lens implantation.

Sinopec is the biggest corporate contributor to Lifeline Express in China. Since 2004, Sinopec has donated about 75.40 million RMB to Lifeline Express Foundation and Sinopec-sponsored Lifeline Express trains have reached remote areas in ten-plus provinces and regions, including Tibet, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Jilin and Inner Mongolia, providing free operations to about 15,000 cataract patients.

In March 2009, Lifeline Express train, the fourth Lifeline Express train, financed exclusively by Sinopec with 30 million RMB, was put into use, which is the first train hospital financed exclusively by a Chinese enterprise. The Sinopec train is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and operating instrument set. This train enables Lifeline Express to reach 12 railway stations a year and provide cataract removal operations to 3,000 more patients. In 2009, Sinopec donated 10.40 million RMB to Lifeline Express Foundation and 3,565 more cataract patients in remote areas of Sichuan, Jilin and Guangxi provinces regained their sight as a result.

Sinopec won high recognition of local governments and people and many honorary titles from Lifeline Express Foundation and government for its outstanding contribution to the elimination of cataracts in poor areas. In 2009, Sinopec’s Lifeline Express cataract removal program was recognized by Jilin Municipal Government as one of the top ten charitable events of the year. At the annual conference of China Lifeline Express Foundation held on November 30, 2009, Sinopec was the only one to win the Cataract Elimination Award of the year.

Sinopec-sponsored Lifeline Express train carries back the strongest and simplest feeling of gratitude of cataract patients while bringing them sunshine.

A 13-year-old Hui nationality cataract patient living in rural area of Hualong County of Qinghai Province wrote in his letter of gratitude: “I am from a poor farm family, without enough money to take cataract removal operation at hospital. Over the years, cataract plagued our family very badly. It is Sinopec’s Lifeline Express program that changed the lives of my elder sister and mine and brought us sunshine. We will never forget your great kindness. My elder sister and I will study harder, and follow your example to help those people in need when we grow up.”