JUBA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- William Deng Deng, a 52-year-old employee of the South Sudan Revenue Authority, relied on a wheelchair after suffering a stroke in August. After beginning treatment at Juba Teaching Hospital, he says he can now get around without one.
Deng is receiving care from Jiang Tao, a doctor with the 14th Chinese (Anhui) medical team to South Sudan, whose work at the hospital's Physical Therapy Department combines traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), including acupuncture, with targeted physiotherapy.
The 16-member team, dispatched by the health commission of China's Anhui Province, arrived in South Sudan on Sept. 6 for a 53-week mission.
TCM is expanding rehabilitation options in the country, where treatment at the hospital is being used to address conditions ranging from stroke and traumatic brain injury to osteoarthritis.
"I was moving on the wheelchair, but now I am able to move around freely with the support of a walking stick. What is now left is only my hand, but I think also when my leg becomes better and my hand will be okay also," Deng told Xinhua in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, on Monday.
Omer Jadhallah, a 66-year-old Sudanese refugee living in Juba's Atlabara suburb, came to the department in mid-July with severe muscle stiffness and persistent pain in the stump of a leg amputated in 2024. His surgeons had recommended a prosthesis, and he sought physiotherapy to ease the pain and regain movement.
"When I came here, I had muscle stiffness, but due to the physiotherapy I am receiving, I am recovering. When I came here, I found many other patients who have been treated well. The staff here are very cooperative and helpful; we felt like a family," Jadhallah said.
"I came here in a worse condition, but now I am gradually recovering," he added.
Issa Ibrahim, a 50-year-old Sudanese national, said he believes he would still be paralyzed had he not received the treatment. He suffered a stroke brought on by high blood pressure.
"The stroke left me completely paralyzed on one side. I was in an extremely poor, exhausted state and unable to move my arm, read, or do anything for myself," he noted.
Ibrahim said that upon checking into Juba Teaching Hospital, he received all necessary medical care directly on-site, eliminating the need to seek specialized treatment abroad or at outside facilities.
"Everything from medical tests and physical therapy to specialized nutritional support was provided right inside the hospital. The therapy sessions were fully accessible," Ibrahim said.
"After two and a half months of care, I have fully regained my health and mobility. I am no longer hindered from doing anything, and I am now in the final stages of care, getting ready to be discharged," Ibrahim added.
Jacob Pitia Hillary, deputy head of the Physical Therapy Department, explained that core TCM techniques, including acupuncture, are proven highly effective in delivering rapid pain relief for patients suffering from lower back pain and various other ailments.
"Some of our patients who come here are usually afraid of the needles, but when we counsel them, they get to know the importance of acupuncture," Pitia said.
Jiang said his team treats about 20 patients a day, for conditions including stroke, paralysis, joint pain and chronic back pain.
Elizabeth Denya Joseph, a 27-year-old physiotherapist who completed specialized TCM training in China in April, emphasized the clinical value of acupuncture. She noted that the practice significantly alleviates pain while promoting blood circulation to stimulate nerve recovery.
"We work as a team, we join hands together with the Chinese medical team to help our patients recover faster," Denya said.
Jiang said that his team focuses primarily on neurological and osteoarticular conditions, treating post-stroke sequelae, facial paralysis, knee osteoarthritis, cervical spondylosis, lumbar disc herniation, and scapulohumeral periarthritis.
He added that the department routinely conducts comprehensive rehabilitation assessments and provides targeted therapeutic care for patients experiencing restricted limb mobility resulting from physical trauma.
"In clinical practice, we fully leverage the advantages of TCM- simple, convenient, economical, and effective. We standardly apply a variety of appropriate TCM techniques such as acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, acupoint pricking blood therapy, tuina and bone-setting, and cutaneous needle therapy," Jiang said.
Jiang further highlighted the distinct approach of TCM compared to Western practices, explaining that TCM emphasizes holistic regulation and proactive disease prevention.
He noted that because the discipline operates largely without heavy pharmaceutical reliance, it offers a high safety profile and remains widely accessible to a diverse patient population. ■