Hao Yabo, a member of the 19th batch of China-Africa medical team, demonstrated TCM acupuncture therapy to the local people. Photo courtesy of the 19th batch of medical teams assisting Central Africa
A retired Algerian nurse holds a photo with the Chinese medical team 27 years ago, and the members of the 27th batch of medical teams assisting Algeria. Photo courtesy of the 27th batch of medical teams assisting Algeria
The second group of radiologists from the Kiribati medical team instructed local doctors to perform CT examinations. Photo courtesy of the second batch of medical teams assisting Kiribati
The 23rd batch of doctors from the Kuwaiti medical team debridement and disinfection of local patients. Photo courtesy of the 23rd batch of medical teams assisting Kuwait
The second Kiribati medical team carried out free medical consultations in the community of the capital Tarawa. Photo courtesy of the second batch of medical teams assisting Kiribati
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the dispatch of China's foreign aid medical teams. Over the past 60 years, China has sent 30,000 medical teams to 76 countries and regions around the world, treating 290 million patients, winning widespread praise from the international community. Over the past 60 years, groups of foreign aid medical personnel have been far from the motherland and their relatives, overcome various difficulties in foreign countries, treated countless local patients with exquisite medical skills and warm love, left many touching stories, demonstrated the spirit of the Chinese medical team of "fearless of hardship, willing to dedicate, save lives and help the wounded, and boundless love", and deepened the friendship between the Chinese people and the people of developing countries.
Every time there is a critical patient, the hospital will seek the help of Chinese doctors
The Saïda steppe is an important agricultural and pastoral area in Algeria, located on the edge of the Sahara Desert, with temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius in summer and up to 1 meter of snow in winter. In 1962, Algeria had just become independent, and various diseases and infectious diseases were epidemic in the grasslands, and the people's health and sanitation needed to be improved. To this end, the Algerian government, through the International Committee of the Red Cross, issued an urgent request for medical assistance, while requesting medical teams directly from China. Faced with the urgent needs of Afghanistan, China responded quickly and became the first country to extend a helping hand to Afghanistan.
In April 1963, 13 Chinese medical workers assembled in Beijing, took a train to Moscow, then changed planes, and arrived in Algeria after a 10-day journey. In June, 11 other members of the medical team also arrived in two groups. The 24 team members went to Saeida Provincial Hospital, located deep in the grassland, and began a two-year diagnosis and treatment. Faced with the hospital's poor medical conditions, the team members undertook almost all the inpatient and outpatient treatment tasks of this 280-bed hospital, while also insisting on touring the vast pastoral area.
"At that time, there were many pregnant women in Saeida Provincial Hospital, and our medical team only had one obstetrician and gynecologist, who was responsible for almost all the obstetrics and gynecology work in the hospital." Qiu Yuehua, a member of the first medical team to aid Algeria, recalled that although she was a midwife, she also assisted doctors in dealing with difficult labor and high-risk patients, and successfully helped many pregnant women and newborns escape.
Traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture is one of the departments that has been assisting Algeria for the longest time in decades. The spirit of the first batch of medical teams to aid Algeria has also been passed on along with medical skills. "In 1986, I entered Hubei University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and 60% of our old professors supported Algeria. Listening to their stories of foreign aid, although hard, this dedication is valuable. Influenced by them, I also chose to come to Algeria to participate in foreign medical treatment. Yang Yi, an acupuncturist from the Chinese medicine detachment of the 27th batch of aid to Algeria, said.
A special diagnosis and treatment experience made Yang Yi remember it vividly. When a retired local nurse came to see him for acupuncture, he brought a photo of members of the Chinese medical team 27 years ago. "I really thank the Chinese medical team, Chinese doctors selflessly treat the local people in Algeria, we have relied on Chinese doctors for many years, and when we encounter diseases such as cervical and low back pain, we will immediately think of them." The nurse said gratefully.
The medical team sent to Algeria has opened a great new journey of mainland aid and foreign medical cooperation and participation in international humanitarian work. From Africa to Latin America, from Oceania to the Middle East, Chinese medical team members can be seen. They stick to their posts, overcome all kinds of difficulties, and benefit the local people with benevolence. "For decades, the Chinese medical team has insisted on inheriting the spirit of its predecessors. Our batch of medical team members should do better than their predecessors and strive for excellence. Yang Yi said.
Yang Shengyu, an obstetrician and gynecologist of the 27th batch of medical teams assisting Algeria, participated in the medical work of assisting Algeria twice. What particularly impressed her was the respect and admiration of Dr. Fang and his students for Chinese doctors, "Every time there is a critical patient, the hospital will seek help from Chinese doctors." Dr. Fang also discusses the cases cured by Chinese doctors with students in class. It also made her feel the heavy responsibility of being a medical team, "We didn't stop here, anyone called me, I went quickly." ”
It has contributed to the development of local medical services
At 9 a.m. on March 13, 2015, at San Fernando General Hospital in Trinidad and Tobago, more than 10 local doctors were nervously observing a complete thyroidectomy on the right side of the neck without scars. Zheng Jianwei, chief physician from Beijing Tiantan Hospital, and local doctors worked together for hours to complete the suture, and the first laparoscopic thyroidectomy in the Caribbean was successfully completed. "Caribbean, first case!" The local doctors at the scene cheered excitedly.
The "first" set by China's medical team is much more than that. The first case of complex cerebrovascular malformation embolization, the first case of whole cerebral angiography, the first case of intracranial aneurysm embolization... Doctors sent by the Beijing Health Commission set a total of 6 national records here. The Chinese medical team has effectively improved the medical environment of the recipient countries, improved the level of local medical and health security, and contributed Chinese strength to the development of local medical undertakings.
In May 2021, Dominica's first cardiovascular department was successfully launched in the China-Dominica Friendship Hospital in the capital Rosso. Cardiovascular disease is a high incidence of local diseases, and Dominica's cardiovascular specialist diagnosis and treatment is insufficient. In the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, the first temporary pacemaker implantation and the first case of selective cardioversion therapy by Chinese experts have greatly improved the diagnosis and treatment level of local cardiovascular diseases.
Kiribati imaging medicine is poorly developed, and the examination relies on plain x-rays, and many diseases cannot be clearly diagnosed, which seriously affects treatment and prognosis. Cao Lijun, head of China's second batch of medical teams to aid Kiribati, told reporters that after the arrival of the medical team in May 2022, it successfully carried out CT examination for the hospital, providing a more intuitive and reliable diagnostic basis for the clinic and greatly improving the diagnosis level of diseases in various systems. The medical team has also donated medicines and equipment on many occasions, and has been hailed as the "guardian of health on the Pacific Island" by Kiribati's mainstream media Nova News.
Establish a critical care medical center, trauma treatment center and Chinese language training center in Guinea Friendship Hospital in China, and carry out key discipline assistance and talent training; Donated the establishment of the "Microsurgery Training Center" in Tedo to build Tedo San Fernando General Hospital into the top neurosurgery center in the country and the Caribbean; Assisting local doctors in Ghana to master advanced medical technology, making Ghana the best cardiac surgery center in West Africa... The technical cooperation achievements of the Chinese medical team have effectively contributed to the construction of a community of human health and health.
While helping recipient countries improve their medical technology, China's foreign aid medical teams also carefully impart knowledge and experience in diagnosis and treatment to local doctors, leaving a medical team that cannot be taken away. The counterpart hospital is also a "school" for local doctors to increase their skills.
"I'll come! I got it! "Every time I went to the clinic with Zhang Youmei, an ophthalmologist from the 19th batch of China-Africa medical team, Paul, a medical assistant from the local hospital, rushed to perform eye examinations and other operations for patients." The doctors of the medical team have limited time to help foreign countries, and leaving the technology in a limited time can save more patients and truly benefit the people. Zhang Youmei said.
At the Natural Rehabilitation Hospital in Kuwait's Capital Province, there is a waiting line at the door of the TCM clinic. Pulse, consultation, acupuncture, tuina, cupping... Chen Chunhai, the leader of the 23rd batch of Chinese medical teams assisting Kuwait, was busy and explained the technical points of treatment to Salah, a local doctor who visited and studied in the TCM clinic. After continuous hard work, Salah and some other local doctors have basically mastered TCM Tuina, acupuncture, etc., and are able to provide patients with some simple TCM treatments. "Many Kuwaiti patients are very cognizant of TCM technology, so they have become interested in China, and hope to visit China in the future." Salah said.
"If you want to improve your technical level, you must come to China." In 2019, at the graduation ceremony of the study program in China, Kamala, a cardiovascular doctor from China-Guinea Friendship Hospital who had received two years of training, sighed sincerely. Previously, the Beijing Municipal Health Commission invited 39 Guinean management and professional backbones to China for short- and medium-term training, realizing the training mode of combining short-term training and long-term training, hospital management and professional technology, theoretical learning and demonstration teaching. After returning to Guinea, Kamala is determined to apply the knowledge he learned in China to the medical treatment and construction of China-Guinea Friendship Hospital, and hopes to have more opportunities to study in China in the future and use more advanced Chinese medical technology and experience to benefit the people of the motherland.
I feel so proud to hear "Chinese doctors are awesome"
Baji Village in Jima City, more than 300 kilometers from the Ethiopian capital, is also affectionately known as the "Chinese Village" because of the story of the Chinese medical team, and the Chinese doctor Mei Gengnian is buried here.
In the 70s of last century, Mei Gengnian came to Jima City to work as the leader of China's first medical team to aid Ethiopia. The small square table under the tree in the village is Mei Gengnian's treatment room, which is a life-saving place in the eyes of Jima patients. On the busiest day, Mei Gengnian saw more than 300 patients and underwent 7 surgeries. In 1975, on the way back from an inspection trip to the disaster area, Mei Gengnian unfortunately suffered a car accident and died in the line of duty at the age of 51. The Jima people have not forgotten Dr. Mei, and Zewudi, a patient he treated, volunteered to donate a cornfield in his family to build Mei Gengnian's cemetery and guard his grave, which the whole family has guarded for decades.
"Like my father, I clean and plant trees for the cemetery, and I will tell the people around me the story of this Chinese doctor." Zeoudi's daughter, Helle, said that although her father is no longer there, she and her family have never forgotten the old man's telling when he died: "I have two sons and several younger brothers." If I'm not there, they'll keep the cemetery well. ”
Mei Gengnian's legacy was also inherited by his children. In 1998, Mei Xueqian, the eldest son of Mei Geng, who was a member of the 10th batch of medical teams to aid Egypt, finally came to his father's grave and met Zeoudi, who was still alive at the time. "The local language is difficult to understand, but I clearly hear the old man repeating over and over again: thank you, thank you..." said Mei Xueqian.
There are many more such friendly stories, and the people of the recipient countries are sincerely grateful for accompanying the Chinese foreign aid medical team through 60 years of ups and downs. Despite the difficult working conditions, the doctors of the Chinese foreign aid team are always full of enthusiasm to listen to the patients' "thank you" every day and watch them recover little by little.
Hao Yabo, a post-90s generation, is the only TCM physician in the 19th batch of medical teams to aid Central Africa, and he is more often called a "good doctor" in the mouths of Central Africans. "Good doctor, quickly help us see, the child can't move one side of the body after the cold." A mother anxiously arrives with her child in her arms. After the consultation, Hao Yabo determined the symptoms of the child's hemiplegia and formulated an acupuncture treatment plan, "fortunately, it came in time, and if it drags on longer, it will be a lifelong disability." "For the next two months, the child went to the acupuncture department every week for treatment, from gaining strength in his feet, to being able to walk alone, to being able to hold things in his hemiplegic hands... One day, two months later, the child walked into the consultation room alone and said to Hao Yabo in a childish voice: "Thank you!" ”
Due to dietary habits and lack of early screening, many people in the country have diabetes, which in turn leads to retinopathy. Carry out vitrectomy, laser treatment for retinopathy, eliminate fundus lesions... From July 2015 to January 2016, Xu Zhuo, deputy chief physician of the ophthalmology department of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, often used the hospital's Thursday closure to work overtime in order to help more patients. "The local hospital lacks doctors who are good at treating fundus lesions, and it takes two months for many patients to make appointments, so I hope to help patients get rid of their pain as soon as possible." Xu Zhuo said again. The efforts of Chinese doctors are seen by the local people. On the eve of returning home from his foreign aid mission, many of the patients he had treated sent greeting cards and letters expressing their gratitude.
In February 2023, in the Nepal KTFT Expressway Project Department undertaken by China Construction Seventh Bureau, more than 200 villagers and students along the route registered, consulted and collected medicines in an orderly manner with the help of Chinese and Nepalese young volunteers. This is a free medical activity held by the 14th batch of medical teams from China (Hebei). Pavan, an employee of the project department, has been uncomfortable in his lumbar spine because he has been driving for a long time, and after a comprehensive examination by Chinese doctors, he has been treated with acupuncture and provided free medicines. "Today's acupuncture effect is particularly good, I feel a lot more comfortable in my lumbar spine now, give you praise!" Pavan said.
Nepal is mountainous and most of the area is above 5,000 meters above sea level. Low medical standards, lack of medical equipment, and residents' difficulty in traveling are long-term problems that plague local people seeking medical treatment. To this end, the 14th batch of medical teams from China (Hebei) to aid Nepal held 7 large-scale free consultations, distributed self-compiled Chinese-Nepali bilingual health science manuals, and carried out free physical examinations for more than 2,000 people, with a radiation radius of 300 kilometers, covering the mountainous areas of western Nepal. "The endless crowd and the smiles on everyone's faces can fully prove that this free clinic activity has truly been recognized by everyone, thank you again for your wholehearted dedication." The mayor of Jeff Chuli, Nepal, Harry Prasad Newpane, expressed his gratitude.
"What is happiness?" Wang Jia, a young doctor from the 19th batch of medical teams assisting China and Africa, once asked himself in his diary. In the past 10 months in Bangui, the capital of Central Africa, Wang Jia has become more and more sure of her answer, "Looking back on this period, from the adaptation to the working and living environment, to personally feeling the expectations of every patient, and my own dedication to them to give and help, I feel very fulfilled and happy, every time I hear the local people say 'Chinese doctors are awesome', I am extremely proud; every time I see patients give thumbs up and praise one after another, I am extremely gratified." We will take over the 'baton' passed down by our predecessors and move forward courageously on this friendly avenue. ”
(Beijing, Canberra, Johannesburg, Riyadh -- reporters Li Xinyi, Cui Qi, Chen Xiaowei, Zou Song, and Ren Haoyu)