‘Angels in white’ win hearts, save lives
Since 1963, Chinese doctors have been saving lives, sharing expertise in less developed regions
In the west African country of Benin, locals say “yaba” to refer to friends. Today, the term is closely associated with a group of people who have come from afar — members of Chinese medical teams.
Lang Zhicun, a pediatrician from the First People’s Hospital of Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, worked for two terms with such a team. During his first term in Lokossa, Benin, Lang not only provided treatment for local children, but also taught local doctors acupuncture.
Like Lang, many selfless Chinese doctors have contributed to the advancement of global health by joining medical teams and aiding less developed parts of the world.
Since dispatching its first medical team abroad in 1963, China has sent more than 30,000 medical personnel to 76 countries and regions, providing treatment to more than 300 million locals.
Armed with tested professional knowledge and humanitarian spirit, they have built bridges of hope and friendship between the peoples of China and the recipient countries and regions.
Due to their limited development, many of these recipients have only basic medical service capabilities. Under such conditions, the help provided by Chinese doctors can sometimes mean a difference between life and death.
In August 2001, in Algeria, an emergency phone call at midnight brought Doctor Xu Changzhen to the bed of a pregnant woman. The patient was suffering from hypovolemic shock caused by stillbirth, and she was struggling for life.
Even though Algerian medical officials had determined that the patient could not be saved, Xu refused to give up. After stopping the bleeding through ligation, giving the woman blood transfusion and removing the broken uterus, she finally woke up from the coma.
“My second life is given by Chinese doctors,” the patient said.
Algeria was the first country to which China dispatched its medical team. Since 1993, Xu has been stationed there four times. The doctor’s experience is a prime example of how Chinese medical personnel protect the life and health of local people.
Regular medical service is only one aspect of the assistance that Chinese medical teams have been providing. In emergency situations, they have never hesitated to step up.
In 2011, a passenger and cargo ship capsized and sank in the waters of Zanzibar, Tanzania, causing heavy casualties. Upon learning of the situation, Lu Jianlin, leader of the 24th Chinese medical team to Zanzibar, immediately contacted local health authorities to inform them that his team stood ready to provide assistance.
The Chinese medical team immediately put together a contingency plan for treatment, procured sufficient medicines and equipment, and established a 24-hour response system. Thanks to the team’s efforts, many of those who were injured in the accident made a full recovery.
“We will always remember you” — the timely response and professional treatment from the “good doctors from China” won the praise of local people.
Throughout China’s history of dispatching medical teams, more than 2,000 national-level awards of recipient countries have been presented to Chinese medical team members for their outstanding service.
As an old Chinese saying goes, “It is more helpful to teach people how to fish than to just give them fish.”
While providing much-needed medical assistance, Chinese doctors have also passed on the “fishing rods” of treatment methods to local medical personnel, enabling them to continuously improve the efficiency and quality of local medical services.
During an Ebola outbreak in Africa in 2014, China’s 24th medical team to Guinea, headed by Wang Zhenchang, worked closely with experts from Beijing to train local authorities in safeguarding public health.
The team trained more than 1,600 public health workers, Wang said.
“The training played an important role in bringing the Ebola epidemic under control.”
According to China’s National Health Commission, the country has initiated pair-up cooperation with 46 medical institutions in 41 countries and regions. Although the medical teams cannot stay there forever, the methods and technologies they provide continue to benefit local people.
In 2019, Lang returned to Benin. This time, he brought the cuttingedge technology of remote diagnosis to the central hospital in Lokossa.
Sixty years since the first mission, the determination and spirit of Chinese medical team members have been passed down to a new generation. Currently, in 56 countries, Chinese medical teams continue the legacy of mutual assistance between China and other developing nations.