(Wu Sheng/Xinhua Daily)

Jiangsu marked the 60th anniversary of dispatching medical aid teams abroad during a conference in Nanjing on December 26.

Over the past 60 years, Jiangsu has sent 79 teams comprising 1,281 staff to countries and regions including Zanzibar, Guyana, Malta, Iran, and Libya. The teams have treated 10 million patients, performed over 300,000 surgeries, and established 16 technical centers in minimally invasive surgery, ophthalmology, trauma, digestive endoscopy, and traditional Chinese medicine, helping recipient countries address over 1,500 technical gaps.

At the gathering, Jiang Guoqing, leader of the 33rd medical aid team to Zanzibar, shared his experiences abroad. "After seven months of effort, my first African student has become the first in Zanzibar to independently perform laparoscopic appendectomies and cholecystectomies," Jiang said.

Jiang also displayed a video sent by his four trainees showcasing their independent performance of laparoscopic surgeries. The video included a line in English expressing their gratitude to Jiang, who felt it was worthwhile to perform the training in Zanzibar.

According to Jiang, with the assistance of the medical teams, local doctors are now capable of independently performing laparoscopic urological and gynecological surgeries, achieving significant breakthroughs in minimally invasive techniques for the region. The medical teams also signed memorandum of understanding with local university, providing clinical courses for students every Friday and supporting the training of local medical talent.

Qu Lishuai, leader of the 31st medical team to Zanzibar, received an emergency call from the local hospital on his third day in Zanzibar, regarding a child suffering from an airway obstruction. Despite the rudimentary conditions in the operating room, Qu and his colleague successfully performed surgery in just 70 seconds, removing a whistle from the child's airway.

In Malta, the Mediterranean Regional Centre for Traditional Chinese Medicine has attracted many patients seeking TCM treatment. Feng Hua, leader of the 19th medical team to Malta, noted that obesity has become a significant public health concern locally, prompting the team to open a clinic this year specializing in acupuncture for weight loss.

Duan Yunfei, leader of the 17th medical team to Guyana, described how Jiangsu's medical aid teams demonstrated the philosophy of “teaching to fish” rather than simply “giving fish”. They organized Guyana's first TCM training class, provided standardized training to local doctors, and established a hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery center at a local hospital.

Liu Yun, president of Jiangsu Province Hospital, mentioned that the hospital has established fruitful collaborations with three hospitals in Zanzibar and Egypt, focusing on talent cultivation and technology transfer. "While dispatching medical teams, we also host seminars that attract participants from over 20 countries to Jiangsu for further education."

Yu Chenggong, president of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, highlighted that the hospital has organized seven groups of specialists who have conducted 32,000 cervical cancer screenings in Zanzibar, developed a screening protocol suitable for local conditions, and compiled the Zanzibar Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Guidelines. Yun added that the hospital also holds training classes for medical staff from countries such as Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Mongolia.