ACCRA, March 23 (Xinhua) -- A total of 11 members of the 12th batch of the Chinese medical team have won the hearts of Ghanaians with their dedication and hard work to improve the country's medical services.
The team, which arrived in Ghana last March, has wrapped up its year-long mission, receiving close to 20,000 local patients and performing more than 2,400 surgeries.
At a farewell ceremony last week, Anastasia Yirenkyi, director of the Traditional and Alternative Medicines Directorate at the Ghanaian Ministry of Health, said the Chinese doctors have impressed Ghanaians both in the delivery of health services and in sharing knowledge and expertise with their Ghanaian counterparts to enrich the human resource capacity of the health sector.
Yirenkyi praised the Chinese medical team's unwavering commitment, expertise, and compassion over the past year. "The contribution of the Chinese medical team to Ghana's health care goes a long way in strengthening the country's efforts to have a healthy population that contributes to national development."
On the same occasion, the Ghanaian Ministry of Health presented certificates of honor and various gifts to the Chinese doctors dispatched by southern China's Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital.
Georgina Addy, an 80-year-old Ghanaian patient, shared Yirenkyi's sentiment. One of the beneficiaries of a free surgery program conducted by the team last year, she was able to rid herself of the eye disease she had been living with for five years.
"My eye was painful because of cataracts, and a neighbor recommended Chinese doctors to me. They performed the surgery for me, and I am fine now. I am very grateful to them," she told Xinhua.
Last September, local employees of Sinohydro, a Chinese state-owned company, and low-income residents of the Akuse community in Ghana's Eastern Region also received free medical care from the team.
"They brought us the free health screening and helped the workers know about their health status and take action if necessary. They care about our health, and we are grateful," said Benjamin Annim, a Ghanaian worker.
According to Du Yushan, chief of the medical team, the team has introduced 16 new clinical technologies and projects within six departments at the LEKMA Hospital, where the team was based, to meet the needs of these departments and the hospital.
"We are deeply honored to have had the opportunity to contribute to the development of medical services in Ghana and look forward to continued collaboration in the future," he said.
In a recent interview with Xinhua, Li Wenhua, deputy director of Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, said his hospital has reached much consensus with the LEKMA Hospital on human capital exchange and medical cooperation.
"We hope that more Ghanaian medical staff will be trained in our hospital, and we are always willing to help them further improve their medical services," Li added. ■
