George Wilson Malafosa, CEO of the National Referral Hospital, speaks at the opening ceremony of the acupuncture clinic at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, July 4. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hao Yalin
Honiara, 8 July (Xinhua) -- Communication: Benevolence and benevolence benefit the local people -- remember China's assistance to the Solomon Islands medical team
Xinhua News Agency reporter Hao Yalin Yang Yunqi
Early in the morning, there was a long queue outside the physiotherapy room of the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, and patients came to see the acupuncturist doctor of the Chinese medical team assisting the Solomon Islands.
Rex Focona, a local resident who often comes to see the doctor, told reporters that he had a severe headache before, which lasted for several hours and could only be relieved by taking medicine. The acupuncturist prescribed him a course of ten treatments, and he felt relieved a lot after six treatments.
Another patient, Martin Bobo, said acupuncture was effective in relieving his knee and joint pain. "I am very grateful to the Chinese doctors, they are very professional."
On July 3, Chinese acupuncturists from the Solomon Islands Medical Team treated patients at the Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of China's medical team to aid Solomon Islands)
From unheard of to word of mouth, with the arrival of Chinese medical teams in the Solomon Islands, acupuncture therapy was quickly recognized by the local people. The medical team members are highly skilled, patient and meticulous, and are widely welcomed by the public.
Solomon Islands is one of the least developed countries with relatively backward health care conditions, and primary or district clinics often provide medical services only by nurses and nurse assistants, and only doctors are available in hospitals above the provincial level. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations with Solomon Islands in 2019, China began sending medical assistance teams to Solomon Islands in early 2022, and is currently the second batch of eight team members working there.
The allocation of medical team members fully considers the actual situation in Solomon Islands, acupuncture, urology, cardiology, nephrology, and laboratory are all the departments most needed in the local area due to the large number of cases and backward diagnosis and treatment technology.
The team members usually receive and perform surgery in the corresponding departments of the National Referral Hospital, and sometimes go to the outer islands for free consultations. In the more than three months since coming to the Solomon Islands, the second batch of medical teams has carried out acupuncture and moxibustion services for more than 1,800 people. Received more than 1,400 patients from nephrology, urology and cardiology; rescued more than 20 critically ill patients; 16 times of inspection technical guidance; Performed 30 urological surgeries.
On July 3, Chinese acupuncturists from the Solomon Islands Medical Team treated patients at the Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of China's medical team to aid Solomon Islands)
With the help of the Chinese medical team, the local hospital has achieved many firsts - the first double mirror combined with urethral rupture repair, the first ureteroscopic lithotripsy lithotomy, the first endourethral incision combined with prostate electroresection, the first three-generation drug thrombolytic treatment, the first temporary pacemaker implantation...
In addition to carrying out diagnosis and treatment services, the medical team also held academic lectures to allow local medical staff to observe and participate in the diagnosis and treatment process, so as to enhance the medical capacity of the medical staff.
"Chinese doctors brought in experts and technology that we didn't have, laying the foundation for the development we wanted to achieve." George Wilson Malafosa, CEO of the National Referral Hospital, said.
Recently, the National Referral Hospital opened a special acupuncture clinic with the support of local Chinese to facilitate the medical team to better carry out medical services. Huang Hai, the leader of the medical team, said that the next step for the team members will be to combine local needs and build a minimally invasive urology center as the starting point to help local doctors master minimally invasive surgery techniques in the urological system and establish a "medical team that cannot be taken away".
Li Ming, Chinese Ambassador to the Solomon Islands, said that the experts of the medical team have benefited the people of Solomon Islands with benevolence and benevolence, established China's image and told Chinese stories with practical actions, and made positive contributions to promoting the construction of a human health community.