Chinese medical team praised for providing health services in South Sudan

South Sudan government officials and a team of visiting Chinese medical experts pose for a group photo at the Juba Teaching Hospital on Feb. 11, 2017. (Xinhua/Gale Julius)

JUBA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The tenth batch of the Chinese medical team has been hailed for extending medical services to more than 2,000 people living near the Paloch oil fields in Melut County of South Sudan's Upper Nile state.

Deng Jok Angok, the commissioner of Melut County, lauded the Chinese medical team for providing free consultation and treatment to vulnerable civilians who often rely on the Paloch Friendship Hospital for healthcare services.

"We are grateful to the China medical team for traveling long distance all the way from Juba to come to the rescue of many of our vulnerable children, women, and the elderly with complex ailments," Angok told Xinhua during a recent interview in Melut County.

He said the majority of local civilians are poor and often find it difficult to travel to the national capital of Juba for treatment, adding that the visit by the Chinese medical team from March 15 to 18 has transformed their lives.

The Chinese medical team consisted of 13 specialists, including a physician, surgeon, gynecologist, dermatologist, ENT doctor, medical laboratory technologist, TCM acupuncturist, orthopedist, pediatrician, anesthesiologist, radiologist, and operation nurse. The team provided more than 200 types of medicines to local patients, carried out blood tests for malaria, tackled pain through traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and acupuncture, and gave debridement to victims of trauma.

Xu Zhangwei, the leader of the tenth batch of the Chinese medical team, said his colleagues also shared clinical knowledge with local staff at the Paloch Friendship Hospital built by China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

"We focused on infectious diseases treatment like malaria testing in this medical camp in Paloch. During the consultation here, we found most patients suffered from eye infections and pediatric illness, and we will adjust our main targets next time to fit in the needs of local patients," Xu said, pledging that the Chinese medical team will continue supporting Paloch Friendship Hospital.

Butrus Barach, the medical director of Paloch Friendship Hospital, thanked the Chinese medical team for its commitment and hard work throughout the four days of providing free treatment to local civilians.

Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan Ma Qiang visited each department of the Paloch Friendship Hospital and inquired about patients' conditions. While in the TCM acupuncture room, Ma encouraged Chinese doctors to share medical knowledge with their South Sudanese counterparts to help relieve suffering among local people with chronic ailments.

The Chinese medical team also donated essential supplies to Paloch Friendship Hospital during the medical camp in Paloch, which was coordinated by the Chinese Embassy and South Sudan's Ministry of Health.

The Chinese medical team, which is based in Juba Teaching and Referral Hospital, has not only offered free medical services in South Sudan but has also supported the capacity building of health workers and medical students. The medical team has also carried out routine outreach programs in the world's youngest republic since 2012. ■