Source: People's Daily - People's Daily
The headquarters building of the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the African Union of China. Photo by Zhang Yunlong
Recently, the 18th batch of doctors from China's medical team to aid Chad conducted health examinations for local children. Photo by Wang Lini
Health cooperation is an important part of China-Africa friendly cooperation. In 1963, China officially sent a foreign medical team to Algeria, which kicked off the prelude to medical assistance to Africa. Over the past 60 years, generations of Chinese medical aid team members have used wisdom, sweat and even their lives to write touching stories of boundless love, constantly consolidating the bridge of friendship between China and Africa. China actively practices the concept of putting people first and life first, helps African countries cope with epidemics, builds public health systems, and promotes the building of a China-Africa health community with practical actions.
The torch has been passed down, and the medical aid to Africa has been widely praised
"As soon as you dial this number, Chinese doctors will come. This is our 'reassuring pill'. "In the eyes of Selo, a doctor at Mott Bang Hospital in Lesotho, Sheng Jian, a member of the 16th batch of Chinese medical teams assisting Lesotho, is a trusted guardian of health;
"Malaria and typhoid fever are common diseases here, thanks to the medicines sent by Chinese doctors" "The patience of Chinese doctors is touching"... During the free consultation of the 18th batch of China's medical team to Chad, local villagers praised it one after another;
"China's help to benefit the local people is a noble action." Bleussi, Governor of Pelle Province of Togo, paid tribute to the 25th batch of medical teams aided by China to Togo;
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The dispatch of medical teams to African countries is one of the longest-running, most country-involved and most effective cooperation projects in China and Africa. David Monyae, director of the Africa-China Research Center at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, lamented that Africa-China health cooperation has gone through 60 years since the beginning of China's medical team to aid Africa. "These are 60 years of sharing hardships and hardships, and the African people will not forget the profound friendship of Chinese friends."
From daily visits to free consultations, from medical training to the establishment of key specialties, groups of Chinese medical team members have come to benefit the local people with benevolence and benevolence, making important contributions to the construction of a China-Africa health community.
Tanzanian President Mwini said that the minimally invasive treatment technology brought by the Chinese medical team has promoted the progress of Zanzibar's medical level. The medical team actively carried out free clinic visits at Zanzibar district hospitals, community health clinics and mass gatherings to benefit the general public.
"Over the past 60 years, China's contribution to Uganda and Africa as a whole is obvious to all, including cooperation in the field of health care." An article on the website of Uganda's "Xinjingbao" said that thousands of Ugandans benefited from the services provided by the Chinese medical team, "which is a concrete action to build a community with a shared future between Africa and China."
"The Chinese team has provided diversified medical services, helped train a large number of local talents, and carried out joint research with local personnel, which has contributed to improving the capacity building and health care level of African countries." Eritrean journalist Fikreyesus wrote in local media that the Chinese medical team has been widely welcomed and praised for relieving people's pain.
China and Africa join hands to build a healthy line of defense
On the southern outskirts of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, new, modern buildings stand on the once barren grassy slopes. This is the China-aided African Union African Center for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters (phase I) project completed in January this year. The establishment of the Africa CDC is of great significance to improving the speed of disease prevention, surveillance and emergency response to outbreaks in Africa.
"The completion of the project means that Africa-China medical and health cooperation has entered a new stage, and we look forward to more cooperation between the two sides in the field of public health to further promote the development of Africa's health cause." Humphrey Moshi, director of the China Studies Center at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, said.
Over the years, China has assisted Africa in the prevention and control of malaria, schistosomiasis and yellow fever, and jointly implemented public health cooperation projects with Tanzania, Comoros and other countries and international organizations. In 2014, when West African countries were fighting Ebola, China sent thousands of clinical and public health experts to go retrograde. After the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, China sent anti-epidemic medical experts or short-term anti-epidemic medical teams to 17 African countries, and guided long-term foreign aid medical teams stationed in more than 40 African countries to jointly build a barrier to protect the lives and health of local people.
"China's medical cooperation with Africa is the most durable, timely and comprehensive." Paul Flimpen, executive director of the Africa-China Policy Advisory Center, a Ghanaian think tank, said that in addition to sending medical teams to Africa, many Chinese experts have assisted African counterparts in medical treatment through video conferences and online consultations. During the new crown epidemic, China's scientific and effective anti-epidemic experience sharing played an important role in African countries' fight against the epidemic.
China actively cooperates with African countries on vaccines to improve the accessibility and affordability of new crown vaccines in African countries through free provision and joint production. South African MP Zilitz Munia said: "Vaccine self-sufficiency is the cornerstone of public health in Africa, and Chinese friends have been helping Africa achieve this goal. ”
Health cooperation has been successively included in the "Ten Major Cooperation Plans", "Eight Major Actions" and "Nine Projects" under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. In 2021, at the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China announced that it would provide another 1 billion doses of vaccines to Africa, and would assist African countries in implementing 10 medical and health projects, sending 1,500 medical team members and public health experts to Africa, injecting strong confidence and impetus into China-Africa health cooperation.
"From the promise that the new crown vaccine will be developed and put into use to benefit African countries first, to the successful completion of the Africa CDC headquarters (phase I), facts have proved time and again that China keeps its promises. I believe that 'building a non-Chinese health community' is not a slogan. The director of the Nigerian Centre for Chinese Studies Charles Onunayiju said.
Monique Nsanzabaganwa, vice chairman of the AU Commission, also said that Africa-China medical cooperation has made remarkable achievements, which is a "vivid and vivid example" of China's words and actions.
Teach people to fish and promote the construction of Africa's medical system
"After the establishment of the Cervical Disease Screening Center, I was fortunate enough to start studying with Chinese doctors, but I didn't expect that I would be able to complete this screening work independently today." Not long ago, Jaclyn Barty, an obstetrician-gynecologist from Juba Teaching Hospital in South Sudan, spoke excitedly about her experience. In August 2020, South Sudan's first cervical disease screening center was put into use with Chinese assistance, creating a new platform for protecting women's health in the region.
From teaching people to fish to teaching people to fish, China has focused on helping African countries strengthen the construction of specialized medicine. As of 2021, China has helped 18 African countries establish 20 specialized centers involving cardiology, intensive care medicine, trauma, laparoscopy and other specialties, and established counterpart cooperation mechanisms with 45 African hospitals in 40 African countries, training 20,000 medical talents of various types for African countries. With the joint efforts of China and Africa, the technical level of African medical personnel has been continuously improved, and the medical and health system has become increasingly perfect.
Niger General Demonstration Hospital is one of the largest hospitals in Niger and even West Africa, and an important base for cooperation in the medical and health field between China and Nepal. Saidu Rabo, director of the hospital's cardiovascular department, said: "Through counterpart cooperation, China has helped us build the Niger Cardiology and Neurology Center, donated advanced medical equipment, drugs and consumables, and helped us improve our clinical diagnosis and treatment capabilities through continuous technical training." ”
In Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, the China-Zimbabwe TCM Acupuncture Center conducts TCM theoretical and practical training to help cultivate local TCM acupuncture talents. "It's good to be able to attend acupuncture training sessions and experience hands-on exercise." Adam Muchenje, a nurse at a local public hospital, said that the results of acupuncture are well known in Zimbabwe, and he hopes to become an acupuncturist in the future.
"The hospital's high teaching level and rich teaching content have benefited us a lot, whether it is clinical or laboratory learning." Dram Lam, Chairman of the Medical Committee and Laboratory Director of the Mali Hospital, attended the clinical training in assisted reproduction at Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital. He said that he is a witness and witness of Malaysia-China medical and health cooperation. The Malaysian side cherishes such cooperation opportunities and will work with the Chinese side to complete the construction project of the cooperation mechanism of counterpart hospitals.
At the beginning of last year, the construction project of the neuromedical center of China-Guinea Friendship Hospital, which lasted for nearly three years, was completed in Conakry, Guinea, and the Chinese side also held a training course to train a number of neuromedical backbones for the local area. In February this year, the Liberia project of the China-Africa Counterpart Hospital Cooperation Mechanism was launched, and the two sides will carry out a cardiology construction cooperation project; At present, the counterpart cooperation project between China and Zimbabwe respiratory and critical care medicine specialties is also being carried out in an orderly manner... African countries generally have high hopes and confidence in deepening Africa-China health cooperation.
Eritrean Minister of Health, Amina Nurhussein, said that the Eritrea-China health cooperation has been fruitful, effectively ensuring the health and well-being of the people and promoting the capacity building of the Eritrean health system. The Eritrean side is willing to work with China to continue to strengthen cooperation and better benefit the people. David Monyae said that under the guidance of the "China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035", health engineering has become another example of deepening cooperation between Africa and China, and will promote the construction of Africa-China health community to achieve greater results.
(Johannesburg Newspaper)
People's Daily (Version 03, June 12, 2023)