Chinese doctor Ai Yuan (C) does a surgery to a local patient at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe, July 26, 2018. (Xinhua)
STRENGTHENED TIES
At a ministerial conference in South Africa last year, China called for intensified efforts to improve the accessibility healthcare services in Africa and scale up support for the health needs of the young people and women.
In 2015, the summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Johannesburg listed public healthcare cooperation as part of the 10 China-Africa cooperation plans, lifting China-Africa healthcare ties to a new level.
China and Africa have seen deepened cooperation in the healthcare sector. For example, the Brightness Action campaign, a China-led activity for patients with eye illnesses, has witnessed achievements.
In the Republic of Congo, the Brightness Action campaign was launched in 2016 with Chinese medical team stationed at the China-Congo Friendship Hospital (CCFH), which has received modern surgical supplies and medical instruments from China in recent years.
Zhang Weipeng, an ophthalmologist at the CCFH and also the doctor in charge of cataract surgery, said his department receives an average of 30 patients every day and many of them come here specially for phacoemulsification.
The doctor said some local patients are reluctant to seek treatment until their eyesight is blurred by cataracts, making it more difficult for the surgery to be performed.
Actively involved in training sessions for local people to increase public awareness of eye illnesses and for medical personal to promote their skills, Zhang said his commitment is to "teach a man to fish."
He said only when local doctors can independently perform cataract surgeries can there be a permanent medical team to provide the service to the public.
Zhang said his "biggest joy" is seeing patients regain their eyesight. "It moves me a lot to see that Congolese patients trust Chinese doctors."
