Not taking mountains and seas as far as the distance, spreading benevolence and benevolence - China's foreign aid medical team lives up to the new mission of the new era

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign-aid medical team lives up to the new mission of the new era

Xinhua News Agency reporters Wu Jing, Hu Hao, Dong Ruifeng, Li Heng

Sincere greetings and warm smiles, on the morning of the 29th, General Secretary Xi Jinping and other central leading comrades met with representatives of the 60th anniversary of the dispatch of China's foreign aid medical team and the commendation conference in the Great Hall of the People and took a group photo.

The concern and concern of the CPC Central Committee quickly spread throughout the countries and regions where China's foreign aid medical teams are located through mobile phones and the Internet, and the majority of team members were deeply inspired and determined to struggle. Everyone expressed that they will make persistent efforts to continue the great love and responsibility of the new era and new journey with benevolence and benevolence, and make greater contributions to building a community of health for mankind.

Across the mountains and seas, foreign aid medical work has entered a new era

"What a privilege to have the opportunity to devote myself to the cause of foreign aid to the motherland. Wang Baoxiang, representative of the advanced collective and leader of the 19th batch of medical teams to aid Central Africa, recalled General Secretary Xi Jinping's reply to the Chinese medical team in Central Africa, and couldn't help but say with emotion.

On February 9, 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping said in his reply: "You have overcome difficulties in work and life in Central Africa and served the local people with your heart, not only as an angel in white who saves lives and helps the wounded, but also as a friendly messenger who conveys friendship. ”

The original intention is unswerving, as evidenced by the mountains and seas. Beyond a Jiazi, foreign aid medical treatment is a vivid embodiment of the Chinese people's love for peace and cherishing life.

In December 1962, Algeria, which had just declared independence, appealed to the world for help, pleading with countries to provide medical assistance. In the spirit of international humanitarianism, the Chinese government was the first to respond and dispatched the first batch of medical teams in April 1963.

Over the past 60 years, under the direct concern and strong deployment of the Party and the state, generation after generation of foreign aid medical team members have crossed mountains and seas to provide medical assistance to local patients in foreign lands, building a bridge of friendship between the people with the benevolence of doctors.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has put forward the concept of building a community of human health and health, summarized and condensed the spirit of the Chinese medical team of "not afraid of hardship, willing to contribute, save lives and help the wounded, and love without borders", pointing out the way forward for foreign aid medical work in the new era and providing fundamental guidance.

The warm scene of the commendation meeting on the 29th brought the thoughts of Wang Zhenchang, the representative of the "Model of the Times" and the leader of the 24th batch of China's medical team to Guinea, back to 9 years ago.

In early 2014, when the Ebola virus ravaged West Africa, the WHO declared the area on Level 1 infectious disease alert and medical volunteers were evacuated. Wang Zhenchang and his team members went against the tide and always fought on the front line of Ebola epidemic prevention and control, achieving the goal of "winning the battle and zero infection".

"The people of Guinea may not remember the names of each of us, but they will definitely remember the group of Chinese doctors, which is our mission and our honor. Wang Zhenchang said that far away from home, the motherland's concern is their strong backing.

Since 2020, new public health experts and health policy experts have been assigned to assist in the formulation of a nosocomial infection system, continuously promoting the steady improvement of local public health.

In the past 10 years, China has dispatched a number of new medical teams to the South Pacific island countries and the Caribbean region at the request of the recipient countries, serving millions of patients every year, increasing year by year, establishing different forms of counterpart cooperation with 48 hospitals in 43 countries, cooperating with relevant countries to establish 25 key clinical specialty centers, and introducing hundreds of new technologies, shifting from "blood transfusion" assistance to sustainable "hematopoietic" cooperation.

He Jionghua, deputy director of the International Department of the National Health Commission and first-level inspector, said that whether it is assisting many countries in the prevention and control of yellow fever, plague, Zika and other epidemics, or jointly implementing public health cooperation projects such as malaria and schistosomiasis with Tanzania, Comodo and other countries and international organizations, China is providing medical services and carrying out public health cooperation in an increasing number of countries, building a comprehensive and three-dimensional work pattern of foreign aid medical teams.

At the beginning of 2023, the 23rd batch of medical teams to Ethiopia witnessed the official completion of the headquarters building of the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) built with China's assistance. Captain Zhang Zhiren felt that under the care and guidance of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, foreign aid medical work is entering a new era.

Sincerely spread the benevolence and benevolence of Chinese doctors

"We must let China's medical technology help improve the health of the local people. Recalling the "pioneering initiative" in July 2023, Xiao Yuehai, a member of the second batch of Chinese medical teams to aid the Solomon Islands, smiled.

Under the guidance of the Chinese medical team, local surgeons successfully performed the country's first laparoscopic surgery. For this moment, the Chinese medical team members brought laparoscopic simulation training equipment and operating equipment, and guided the local doctors hand in hand again and again.

Masaka Hospital, Rwanda, once admitted a cancer patient who was "afraid to operate". After 3 and a half hours of surgery by the Chinese medical team, the patient's tumor was successfully separated from the inferior vena cava.

As he approached discharge, the 18-year-old patient excitedly wrote a line in Rwanda: "Chinese doctors, you are the ones who have given me hope in life." ”

The mountains and rivers are exotic, and the wind and moon are the same day. Li Junsheng, who works in the Rwanda medical team, said: "Sublimating China-Africa friendship step by step is the significance of foreign medical aid. ”

Beyond borders, beyond ethnicity, beyond skin color. So far, China has dispatched more than 30,000 medical personnel to 76 countries and regions, treating nearly 300 million patients, winning wide acclaim from the international community.

"The first time you encountered civil strife and shootouts, why did you go there four times?" Xu Changzhen, a member of the Chinese medical team to aid Algeria, is often asked.

"Many of the children we saved were named Sinova (Chinese), and I was their 'mother Xu'. Xu Changzhen's answer was with deep concern.

In Dominica, where the incidence of cardiovascular diseases is high and cardiologists are hard to find, the Chinese medical team members promoted the establishment of the first cardiovascular specialty in the region, and continued to carry out cardiovascular lectures and clinical teaching rounds, so as to create a "medical team that cannot be taken away" for the local area.

"From 'blood transfusion' assistance to 'hematopoietic' assistance, we need to work together to promote the building of a community of health for all. Attending the commendation meeting, Wu Dexi, a member of the Chinese medical team to aid Dominica, was full of excitement and pride.

In recent years, the quantity and quality of China's foreign-aid medical teams have continued to improve, with a significant increase in difficult, complex and high-level surgeries, and an increasing number of free medical visits.

In Guinea, the China-Guinea Friendship Hospital has initially achieved the goal of not going abroad for serious illnesses; the cardiology center in Tanzania has greatly reduced the demand for patients from that country to seek medical treatment overseas, and has also attracted patients from neighboring countries to seek medical treatment......

Looking back on the high praise won by foreign-aided medical treatment in the recipient countries, Fan Maorong, the leader of the first Chinese-aided Cambodian TCM anti-epidemic medical team, is even more convinced that the application of simple and easy-to-use TCM appropriate techniques will not only be easily accepted by foreign people, but also contribute to people's health and well-being.

Inheriting the torch and continuing to write a chapter of China's great love in the new era

Thousands of miles away, in the village of Baji in the city of Jima, Ethiopia, a cemetery was cleaned very clean. "A model of white-clothed soldiers and a messenger of China-Egypt friendship", Mei Gengnian, the leader of China's first batch of medical teams to aid Ethiopia and a cardiovascular expert, is buried here. Three generations of the local elder Zewudi family have been guarding his grave for 48 years.

"Go to the vast land of Africa to display your talents, contribute your own mind, and contribute your own strength!" Mei Xueqian, who is over 70 years old, said to the young doctor after following in his father's footsteps to complete the mission to aid Africa.

Like clusters of dandelions rising in the wind, generations of Chinese medical team members have gone to love and taken root.

In 1964, China sent its first medical team to Zanzibar, Tanzania. Today, on the cloves-covered island of Zanzibar, the incidence of schistosomiasis has dropped from 8.92 per cent to 0.64 per cent, and local hospitals have entered the era of minimally invasive surgery.

In September 2023, President Mwini of Zanzibar, Tanzania, personally presented medals and commemorative certificates to the members of the 32nd batch of medical teams to aid Zanzibar. Soon after, the TV series "Welcome to McNugget Village" was broadcast in Chinese mainland, telling the story of the Chinese medical team in Zanzibar.

"'McNuglet' is a transliteration of the Swahili word for 'forever', and 'McNugget Village' is not only the station of the Chinese medical team, but also an eternal village that represents China's commitment to foreign medical aid and embodies boundless love. Zhao Xiaojun, captain of the 32nd batch of China-aided Zanzibar medical team, said.

The avenue is not lonely, and virtue must have neighbors. In the face of health, which is the common aspiration of all mankind, China's foreign medical aid, which is the "golden signboard" of foreign cooperation and exchanges, is becoming brighter and brighter, condensing China's firm belief and strength in building a community of health for all.

Ten days ago......, the 20th batch of Chinese medical teams to aid Central Africa made a solemn oath to start a new journey of 18 months.

"One stick after another!" said Wang Gungge, an infectious disease doctor from Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, the leader of the medical team, saying that we will keep in mind General Secretary Xi Jinping's instructions and continue the spirit of the Chinese medical team of "not fearing hardship, being willing to dedicate, saving lives and helping the wounded, and having boundless love", so that the tree of life and friendship between Chinese and foreign people will be evergreen!

Source: Xinhua News Agency