Chongqing - Chongqing held a ceremony Monday morning to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the city's sending medical teams to assist health service abroad. At the event, seven organizations and 25 individuals were honored for their contributions.

Chongqing has sent two medical teams overseas, with 19 medical staff staying abroad year-round. As of April 2023, Chongqing had dispatched 12 batches of 120 medical staff to Papua New Guinea (PNG) and five batches of 44 medical staff to Barbados.

These teams covered 20 clinical specialties, introducing over 330 new and appropriate technologies in neurosurgery, maxillofacial surgery, and vascular intervention. They also trained over 8,000 local medical personnel, conducted outreach clinics, and donated medical equipment.

"Working abroad has become a valuable asset in our lives. Through overseas work, we not only enrich our personal experiences and broaden our horizons, but more importantly, we deepen mutual understanding and cultural exchange between the Chinese and Papua New Guinean people," said Chen Guozhu, leader of the 11th batch of the medical team sent to PNG.

In recent years, Chongqing has continuously innovated its overseas aid work, aiming to offer much-needed medical aid and services. In PNG, Chongqing has focused on constructing minimally invasive surgical centers, donating specialty equipment, dispatching short-term expert groups, and inviting medical personnel from recipient hospitals to study in Chongqing. This has helped PNG make the leap from traditional open surgery to modern minimally invasive surgery.

On June 3rd, 2022, the then State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and PNG Foreign Minister Soroi Eoe jointly witnessed the inauguration of the China-aided Center of Minimally Invasive Surgery at Port Moresby General Hospital in PNG.

In Barbados, Chongqing dispatched a short-term expert group to Queen Elizabeth Hospital to carry out demonstrations and training for total knee replacement surgery and endovascular treatment for lower limb arterial stenosis and occlusion, showcasing the advanced technical skills of Chinese medical experts.

Chongqing has also expanded the scope of its medical aid to promote medical education cooperation between Chongqing Medical University and the University of West Indies Medical School in Barbados.

Dan Yanzheng, Vice Mayor of the Chongqing Municipal People's Government, summarized and reviewed the work of Chongqing's medical teams over the past 20 years. He stated that the government would further integrate city-level resources to strongly support the work of Chongqing's medical teams and promote the high-quality development of Chongqing's overseas medical aid work.