A team of 14 medical experts from China have treated more than 2000 patients in a period of one year and a half, a Chinese official revealed on Friday while bidding farewell to the team which will head back home soon. Xing Yuchun, the Charge d’Affaires at the Chinese Embassy in Rwanda, said that the outgoing team had been deployed at Masaka and Kibungo referral hospitals. “They cooperated with Rwanda to provide effective medical care, treated more than 2000 patients, carried 500 operations, 1000 acupuncture and dental treatments respectively, and provided voluntary medical service to hundreds of local people,” she said at the reception organised in honour of the outgoing and incoming teams. Dr. Marcel Uwizeye, the Director of Masaka hospital, said the doctors used to treat an average of 60 patients per day, supporting the hospital in the areas of dentistry, general surgery and anaesthesia. They also introduced Chinese traditional medicine and orthopaedic surgery, which relates to a branch of medicine that deals with the correction of deformities of bones or muscles and others. “We had gaps in skills, especially in dentistry and orthopaedics in which the Chinese doctors trained ours. We currently have a team of six Chinese doctors who alternate with others every one and a half years,” he said. Masaka hospital where some of the members of the Chinese team have been working was built in 2001 through funding by the Chinese Government. Healthcare has long been one of the important areas in China and Rwanda cooperation. In the last 36 years, Chinese medics have treated more than 800,000 Rwandans and carried out over 26,000 operations. Yuchun noted that they have also provided medical equipment, trained Rwandan medical personnel, and transferred knowledge and skills to trainees and other local people. ZuberiMuvunyi, the Director General of Clinical and Public Health Services at the Ministry of Health revealed that the increasing support of China in medical-related fields reflects the growing cooperation between the two countries. “The size of the Chinese medical team in Rwanda has reached to more than 280 members in only 18 missions. This signifies the intensity of our cooperation in the health sector,” he noted. Meanwhile, Rwanda received another team of 15 medical experts from China who will spend a year providing medical services in areas like dentistry, surgery, and gynaecology, among others. According to the officials, the team is coming to spend their time in Rwanda as part of a long-time medical cooperation programme that China and Rwanda has been pursuing since 1982. Yang Wenhui, the head of the mission, said that most of the members on the team have more than ten years of experience and that they are ready to devote themselves to the contribution of the growth of healthcare in Rwanda. “There is no fear of hard-work and we are willing to dedicate our efforts to treat and save people with boundless love. We will overcome all the difficulties and do our best to fulfill our mission,” she said. Wenhui also indicated that they will adopt the principle “teaching one to fish is better than giving them fish”. “We will provide the best medical service to Rwandan people, and we plan to have some training programmes for local medical personnel. That way, we can make our contribution in promoting the development of healthcare in Rwanda,” she noted. The members of the 19th batch of medical team were selected from the Inner Mongolia Health and Family Planning Commission, and received one-year training before departing to Rwanda. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
