WINDHOEK, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- China and Namibia on Wednesday marked the 30th anniversary since the first Chinese medical team arrived in Namibia, with officials highlighting clinical training, digital health and wider access to specialist care as priorities for future cooperation.
Speaking at a ceremony in Windhoek, Namibia's capital, Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services Suzan Ndjaleka said three decades of cooperation had given the two countries a strong basis for working more closely.
"However, the next phase of our cooperation should be characterized by deeper institutional collaboration and expanded professional development opportunities, research, innovation, and sustainable capacity building," she said.
Ndjaleka highlighted exchanges between medical specialists, advanced nursing training, clinical mentorship and hospital management as areas where the two countries could share expertise.
The first Chinese medical team arrived in Namibia in 1996 and helped establish the acupuncture department at Katutura Intermediate Hospital in Windhoek.
Chinese medical teams have since treated thousands of patients each year and have also provided care in remote areas.
Yu Xinle, deputy director of the Health Commission of east China's Zhejiang Province, praised the Chinese medical teams for their service in Namibia.
"Over the past 30 years, the Health Commission of Zhejiang Province has always attached great importance to foreign medical aid work, integrating it into the overall development of the province's health sector," he said.
Yu pledged to advance health cooperation under the China-Africa partnership actions, focusing on the joint development of clinical specialties, the training of health professionals and capacity building.
The ceremony also included the donation of more than 30 infrared therapy lamps to Katutura Intermediate Hospital.
Rosalia Tuhadeleni, a retired senior Namibian nurse, began working alongside the Chinese medical teams when the first team arrived in the country.
"I had the opportunity to go to China for acupuncture training, and it showed me that we really need to establish a dedicated local training facility under our bilateral cooperation," she said.
Over the past 30 years, China has sent 17 medical teams to Namibia, with 68 medical personnel dispatched across the rotations, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The teams have provided free traditional Chinese medicine services. ■