NIAMEY, March 26 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony was held on Wednesday at the Niamey General Reference Hospital to mark the 50th anniversary of the Chinese medical team's presence in Niger, dispatched by Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The event was attended by Chinese Ambassador to Niger Lyu Guijun, Director of the Health Commission of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Du Zhenzong who led a Guangxi health delegation, Niger's Minister of Public Health Colonel-Major Garba Hakimi, and Mamane Daou, director of the Niamey General Reference Hospital.
Representatives of medical staff from the Nigerien side, personnel from the World Health Organization office in Niger, delegates of Chinese-funded institutions and the overseas Chinese community, and all members of the 25th batch of the Chinese medical team aiding Niger also attended the event.
On behalf of the government and people of Niger, Hakimi expressed gratitude to China.
The health cooperation between Niger and China is an important manifestation of the friendship between the two countries, said Hakimi, noting that the Chinese medical teams have made positive contributions in providing medical services, transferring technology, and training personnel.
In his remarks, Daou thanked China for its long-standing medical assistance and highly praised the contributions made by Chinese medical teams over the past 50 years in improving Niger's healthcare capacity.
In January 1976, the first Chinese medical team to Niger, dispatched by Guangxi, arrived in the West African country. To date, China has sent 25 teams comprising 786 members, with the current 25th batch of 30 medical personnel working in the country.
Du said that over the past five decades, Chinese medical teams have upheld the spirit of "fearlessness in the face of hardship, dedication, saving lives, and boundless compassion," providing services to more than 1.78 million local patients and training 36,000 Nigerien medical personnel, leaving behind a "medical team that will never leave" and serving as a testament to China-Niger friendship.
Lyu said that China is among the countries that have long dispatched medical teams to developing nations. Over the past 50 years, the work of Guangxi medical teams in Niger has vividly demonstrated China's policy toward Africa and the practice of building a global community of health for all. China will continue to strengthen cooperation with Belt and Road partner countries in the field of health and bring new opportunities to China-Niger cooperation.
After the ceremony, participants visited an exhibition marking 50 years of China-Niger medical and health cooperation, reviewing the history of bilateral collaboration and the joint efforts of medical personnel from both sides to safeguard lives through photos and other displays. ■