The government of Tanzania on Tuesday thanked the Chinese government for dispatching medical teams to help improve healthcare for people in the East African country.

Over the last six decades, more than 1,500 members of the Chinese medical team have been dispatched to Tanzania, said Paschal Ruggajo, director of Curative Services in the Ministry of Health, stressing that they have saved the lives of more than 20 million Tanzanians suffering from complicated ailments and have helped address various technological gaps in local hospitals.

Ruggajo made these remarks in a speech delivered during a ceremony to bid farewell to the 26th group of the Chinese medical team and welcome the 27th group in Tanzania's commercial hub of Dar es Salaam.

Tanzanian medical experts have greatly benefited from the long-standing cooperation in the field of health over the last six decades, Ruggajo said.

The 11 members of the 26th Chinese medical team have worked in Tanzania for two years, stationed at the Muhimbili National Hospital, the Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute, the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute and the Mbeya Regional Referral Hospital.

Suo Peng, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania, said that in the past two years, the Chinese experts completed close to 15,000 diagnoses, conducted more than 3,000 surgeries, participated in nearly 2,000 critical care interventions, managed anesthesia for over 7,000 cases, conducted over 400 training sessions, and trained nearly 2,000 individuals.

"In December 2022, the team collaborated with local doctors on a 13-hour thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm resection surgery, leading to the successful recovery of the patient," he said.

Peng also expressed hope that the newly arrived 27th batch of medical staff, comprising 11 specialists from renowned hospitals in China specializing in pediatric, cardiac, neurosurgery, orthopedics and other fields, would dedicate themselves to safeguarding the health of the Tanzanian people, further contributing to the friendship between China and Tanzania.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).