Members of the 11th Chinese medical team in Ghana conduct a type-B ultrasonic check on a boy having hepatomegaly in a local orphanage during a treatment session. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Embassy lauds medics for 'saving the lives of the wounded and dying' in Ghana
Li Furong said she has developed deep feelings for Benin after serving as a medical aid worker in the western African nation three times over the last two decades.
"Many people there have become my friends," said Li, head of the 26th Chinese medical team sent to Benin. The group left Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, on Aug 3 for an 18-month stint in the country.
The senior ophthalmologist from the First People's Hospital of Yinchuan previously joined the team in 2002 and 2016.
"I am hoping I can help treat more people this time," Li told media via a video link from Benin.
The medical workers have developed a deep respect and care for Benin's people after years of contact and treatment.
Li said that some people in Benin think of Chinese doctors as their most trusted friends.
"Each time they receive treatment, they say: 'Thank you, my friends. Chinese doctors are great'," she said.
Since 1978, Ningxia has sent 26 medical aid teams and 616 medical workers to Benin based on a protocol signed between the Chinese and the Beninese governments.
Making use of their wide range of expertise, they have successfully performed around 100,000 operations and saved millions of lives.
Chinese doctors have won recognition and praise from local governments, the Beninese people and Chinese embassies. Thirty-three former participants have been awarded Benin's Medal of Honor.
The doctors are not just members of medical teams, but also envoys of friendship. In addition to treating patients, they help train local staff and teach them how to use advanced medical technology.
They also tell China's story through practical action, embody the spirit of Chinese foreign aid and contribute strength and wisdom to the cause of human health.
Ma Jie, an anesthesiologist at the First People's Hospital of Yinchuan, said that he was satisfied and proud to be able to help patients, and often remains in the hospital for long hours.
He said that Benin suffers from shortages of equipment and medicines, and some medical technologies commonly used in China are unavailable.
"General anesthesia is usually administered during surgery on patients in shock, or in a critical or urgent condition," he said.
Ma once received a letter of thanks from a Beninese hospital in recognition of his dedication.
Chen Zhanlong, a senior doctor at the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University's emergency department, said that his team had treated some 100 overseas Chinese, including entrepreneurs and embassy staff members infected with COVID-19, and served about 13,000 Beninese over the previous two years. Chen was head of the 25th medical team, which arrived in Benin in 2020.
His team carried out numerous major operations, including reattaching severed fingers and removing tumors in the neck and the abdominal cavity, and broke medical and health records in Benin over the past two years.
The Chinese embassy in Ghana has also spoken highly of the 11th Chinese medical team, which arrived in Ghana in March last year.
In a recent letter of commendation, the embassy said that the team from Guangdong province fully embodied the spirit of Chinese medical foreign aid, "fearing no hardship, being willing to sacrifice, saving the lives of the wounded and dying".
The 11-member team, organized by the Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, includes senior anesthesiologists, general surgeons, cardiologists, radiologists, neurologists, acupuncturists, obstetricians, gynecologists and ophthalmologists, among others.
They have organized free clinics, provided security to Chinese-funded enterprises, helped embassy staff members with medical issues and saved the lives of many overseas Chinese.
Their skills and ethics have won the affirmation and welcome of Ghana's health ministry, the China-Canada Friendship Hospital, Chinese-funded companies and institutions and overseas Chinese residents, the letter said.
In addition to clinical work, the team trains Ghanaian medical staff through lectures, special training courses and clinical diagnoses and treatment to improve medical care and raise health standards.
The team also carries out prevention and treatment for infectious diseases in the West African country, it said.
Its general surgeons have carried out 300 operations, including 40 orthopedic and 200 obstetric surgeries so far.
Qiao Guangwei, head of the Chinese medical team in Benin, consults with a Beninese doctor in a local hospital in March 2020. [Photo provided to China Daily]
