The 17th Chinese Medical Team arrived in Botswana last week Friday and will be dispatched to the country’s two major referral hospitals.
The 46 members are drawn from the best hospitals in Fujian Province of China. They comprise 40 Specialists, the team leader, Chen Denghua, an interpreter, two drivers and two cooks. Twenty-four (24) of them are assigned to Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, and the other 22 will work in Nyangabgwe Hospital in Francistown.
They will spend two (2) years in Botswana and work together with local doctors and nurses to fulfill their mission.
The team was graciously received at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (SSKIA) by officials of the Ministry of Health led by Dr Tshepo Machacha and a team from the Chinese embassy.
On Wednesday this week, the Chinese embassy held a ceremony graced by Dr Mareko Ramatsababa, Secretary for Primary Health Care, Chen Denghua, Team Leader of the 16th Chinese Medical Team as well as Emolemo Morake, the Director of Asia and Pacific Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs - to bid farewell to the 16th Chinese Medical Team and welcome the 17th Chinese Medical team.
Speaking at the occasion, Guo Zhenguang Chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Botswana explained that medicine and health-care has been among the top priority areas in China-Botswana cooperation.
China started dispatching Medical Teams to Botswana since 1981 and for over 43 years, 17 teams with 557 medical personnel have come to work in Botswana and provided clinical service to more than two (2) million patients.
This was corroborated by Dr Ramatsababa, who spoke on behalf of Minister Dr Edwin Dikoloti who had other commitments. He revealed that the first team comprising 13 doctors arrived in Botswana in January 1981 and was dispatched to Jubilee Hospital in Francistown.
Guo said that the Chinese Medical Teams have cultivated a large number of local medical professionals through sharing medical skills, establishing pair hospital cooperation mechanisms, carrying out academic exchanges and providing further medical education in the form of human resource programmes thereby promoting the development of medical and health care service in Botswana. Again, Dr Ramatsababa elaborated that the cooperation has assisted Botswana health sector to manage challenges such as acute shortage of specialized health personnel, increasing demands for specialised services due to evolving disease patterns and high staff attrition.
But most importantly, he singled out the twinning programme that was launched between Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital and the Fujian Provincial Hospital in China following the dispatch of the 16th Chinese Medical team to Botswana in 20920 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The two hospitals exchanged knowledge and ideas on the pandemic and equipment was also donated to the Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital for the same cause.
Furthermore, Dr Ramatsababa mentioned that early this year a team of Chinese officials visited the Ministry of Health and discussed further collaborations in health, and submitted a Draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) meant to develop a working relationship in the area of eye disease prevention and reduction of cataract surgeries backlog that the country is currently experiencing.
He said that since 2011, Botswana has had some cataract operations conducted by Chinese teams that saved the sights of “hundreds of our people”.
Besides Botswana, Chinese Medical Teams are also found in other African countries, Guo said. Over the past 60 years, China has sent more than 23 000 doctors to Africa, which have treated and cured more than 230 million African patients and trained a great number of African medical personnel.
At the moment, Chinese Medical Teams are still working in 45 African countries.
Guo expressed his gratitude to the members of the 16th Chinese Medical team for their “excellent service and contributions to strengthening the friendship of two countries” as they fought together with their Botswana colleagues against the virus, and risked their own lives saving others.
“You deserve the title of ‘Angels in White and Friendly Messengers”, he said.
China and Botswana have been developing pragmatic cooperation in the sectors of trade and investment, infrastructure, education, public health, and others.
The 46 members are drawn from the best hospitals in Fujian Province of China. They comprise 40 Specialists, the team leader, Chen Denghua, an interpreter, two drivers and two cooks. Twenty-four (24) of them are assigned to Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, and the other 22 will work in Nyangabgwe Hospital in Francistown.
They will spend two (2) years in Botswana and work together with local doctors and nurses to fulfill their mission.
The team was graciously received at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (SSKIA) by officials of the Ministry of Health led by Dr Tshepo Machacha and a team from the Chinese embassy.
On Wednesday this week, the Chinese embassy held a ceremony graced by Dr Mareko Ramatsababa, Secretary for Primary Health Care, Chen Denghua, Team Leader of the 16th Chinese Medical Team as well as Emolemo Morake, the Director of Asia and Pacific Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs - to bid farewell to the 16th Chinese Medical Team and welcome the 17th Chinese Medical team.
Speaking at the occasion, Guo Zhenguang Chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Botswana explained that medicine and health-care has been among the top priority areas in China-Botswana cooperation.
China started dispatching Medical Teams to Botswana since 1981 and for over 43 years, 17 teams with 557 medical personnel have come to work in Botswana and provided clinical service to more than two (2) million patients.
This was corroborated by Dr Ramatsababa, who spoke on behalf of Minister Dr Edwin Dikoloti who had other commitments. He revealed that the first team comprising 13 doctors arrived in Botswana in January 1981 and was dispatched to Jubilee Hospital in Francistown.
Guo said that the Chinese Medical Teams have cultivated a large number of local medical professionals through sharing medical skills, establishing pair hospital cooperation mechanisms, carrying out academic exchanges and providing further medical education in the form of human resource programmes thereby promoting the development of medical and health care service in Botswana. Again, Dr Ramatsababa elaborated that the cooperation has assisted Botswana health sector to manage challenges such as acute shortage of specialized health personnel, increasing demands for specialised services due to evolving disease patterns and high staff attrition.
But most importantly, he singled out the twinning programme that was launched between Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital and the Fujian Provincial Hospital in China following the dispatch of the 16th Chinese Medical team to Botswana in 20920 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The two hospitals exchanged knowledge and ideas on the pandemic and equipment was also donated to the Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital for the same cause.
Furthermore, Dr Ramatsababa mentioned that early this year a team of Chinese officials visited the Ministry of Health and discussed further collaborations in health, and submitted a Draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) meant to develop a working relationship in the area of eye disease prevention and reduction of cataract surgeries backlog that the country is currently experiencing.
He said that since 2011, Botswana has had some cataract operations conducted by Chinese teams that saved the sights of “hundreds of our people”.
Besides Botswana, Chinese Medical Teams are also found in other African countries, Guo said. Over the past 60 years, China has sent more than 23 000 doctors to Africa, which have treated and cured more than 230 million African patients and trained a great number of African medical personnel.
At the moment, Chinese Medical Teams are still working in 45 African countries.
Guo expressed his gratitude to the members of the 16th Chinese Medical team for their “excellent service and contributions to strengthening the friendship of two countries” as they fought together with their Botswana colleagues against the virus, and risked their own lives saving others.
“You deserve the title of ‘Angels in White and Friendly Messengers”, he said.
China and Botswana have been developing pragmatic cooperation in the sectors of trade and investment, infrastructure, education, public health, and others.
