A handover ceremony between the 19th and 20th
Chinese medical teams was held on Tuesday at the
Chinese embassy in Kigali.
The 19th China Medical Team based at Kigali’s
Masaka hospital and Kibungo hospital in the
southeast has successfully completed a one-year
mission in Rwanda after performing over 500
surgical operations.
The outgoing medical team also donated medical
equipment and materials to local hospitals,
provided free medical services to villagers, and
contributed to the improvement of the medical
services and administrative management in
Rwanda.
Permanent Secretary of Rwanda’s Ministry of Health
Jean-Pierre Nyemazi conveyed the message from
the Minister of Health Diane Gashumba at the
ceremony, thanking the Chinese government and the
Chinese medical team for the support in the health
sector and “excellent contribution” to the healthcare
in Rwanda respectively.
The Chinese medical team support Rwanda in
human resource, which is one of the challenges in
Rwanda’s healthcare system, said Nyemazi, adding
that the Chinese medical team not only provide
medical services but also help Rwandan doctors
improve their capacity.
The government of Rwanda is willing to discuss
how to move this partnership forward, he said.
The program of dispatching the Chinese medical
team to Rwanda has been the flagship arrangement
between China and Rwanda, said Xing Yuchun,
charge d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy in
Rwanda.
The non-stop medical program since 1982 is the
demonstration of unbreakable cooperation between
the Ministry of Health of Rwanda and China’s
National Health Commission, substantial and fruitful
partnership between the two countries, and time-
tested friendship between the two peoples, she
said.
The health cooperation between China and Rwanda
has been increasingly intensified in recent years.
The Masaka Hospital Expansion Project, which will
be the largest project funded by the Chinese
government in Rwanda and the largest general
hospital financed by the Chinese government
throughout Africa, will start construction next year,
Xing revealed.
She also said the Chinese government has decided
to airlift medical supplies to Rwanda shortly to help
Rwanda prevent Ebola.
Head of the 20th China Medical Team Wang Qi
said the whole team is committed to doing their
utmost to provide help to Rwandan people.
Nyemazi and Xing presented certificates of honor to
members of the 19th medical team at the
ceremony.
So far, 19 medical teams and over 250 doctors
from China have worked in Rwanda since 1982.
The Chinese government started sending Chinese
doctors to Africa in 1963. Up till now, more than
20,000 Chinese doctors have worked in Africa and
more than 200 million patients have been treated,
according to the embassy.
Young-po Reporters 