FREETOWN, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The 27th Chinese medical team to Sierra Leone has introduced Fu's Subcutaneous Needling (FSN), an innovative modern acupuncture technique, into local clinical practice, achieving promising results in treating pain-related disorders.
The initiative reflects growing health cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, as China continues to expand its overseas medical assistance in both scope and quality, the medical team said on Wednesday in a news release.
Sierra Leone faces limited medical resources, particularly in the standardized treatment of pain-related conditions. In response, the Chinese medical team has adapted traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) techniques to local needs and systematically applied FSN in clinical settings for the first time.
According to the medical team, clinical observations show that nearly 90 percent of patients treated with FSN experienced immediate pain relief. Patients suffering from conditions such as lumbar disc herniation, knee osteoarthritis, and post-stroke complications have shown significant improvement, while some cases of facial paralysis and hemiplegia have also demonstrated enhanced motor function.
Zhou Shengqiang, associate chief physician and director of the China-Sierra Leone TCM Center, said that the FSN offers four key advantages: safety, rapid effectiveness, minimal pain, and reproducible outcomes.
"These features make it suitable for primary healthcare settings, and local medical staff can quickly learn the technique through standardized training," Zhou said.
China's medical assistance is increasingly focused on sustainable capacity building, with the latest development further strengthening China-Africa health cooperation and contributing to global health development, the medical team said. ■