Ethiopia and China have longstanding relations and currently deepened and jumped to a new level in various forms. Ranging from investment to trade, from agricultural cooperation to railway, expressway constructions and telecommunications as well as other development activities the relations between the two sisterly countries are moving forward to a higher level and to wider areas.
The involvement of Chinese government in Ethiopia’s education and health sectors development are also the other worth mentioning points.
Recently, the handover ceremony of the second batch of China-aided medical equipment for the Trauma Treatment, Maternal and Child Health Center of Tirunesh-Beijing Hospital, which was also built with China’s assistance, was conducted here in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Yang Xiuyi, Head of the China-aided Medical Experts Group from the People’s Hospital of Henan Province, said that Henan Province started to send medical teams to Ethiopia as long as 46 years ago, and the team members have all developed deep friendship with the Ethiopian people.
Yang, the leader of the 18th medical team, and he is on his third mission on to Ethiopia said: “I am pleased to see that the saplings
planted four years ago had already grown into tall trees. I am also gratified by the fact that the hospital’s working processes and management is becoming more standardized.”
According to him, the medical equipment handed over, including electrocardiograph monitors and Neurosurgical drills, hoped to bring up the medical capacity of Beijing hospital to a higher level.
Dr. Jibril Abbas, the CEO of Beijing Hospital on his part said that the equipment, which comes like timely rain, will improve the medical condition of Beijing hospital. For example, under existing condition doctors in Beijing Hospital could only use the inefficient hand-cranked neurosurgical drill for surgery. Now with the China-aided electric neurosurgical drill, this will no longer be the case.
Moreover, the CEO expressed gratitude to all the Chinese doctors for their selfless dedication and superb medical skills. He also paid tribute to the Chinese doctors who work in Ethiopia as volunteers on behalf of all the Ethiopian doctors of the Beijing Hospital.
After the handover ceremony, the doctors went to the Kality Elderly Care Center and the Sebeta Orphanage to hold free clinics, where altogether 180 senior people and 30 children got treatment. Despite the language barrier, the Chinese doctors and Ethiopian patients enjoyed a close emotional bond.
As a public nursing home funded by the government, the Kality Elderly Care Center host 180 childless senior people. For those of them who cannot to move about, Chinese doctors have given them careful examinations and conducted diagnosis with portable medical devices.
Furthermore, 144 elderly people who could get about waited patiently for treatment were registered at the triage with the assistance of Ethiopian nurses and then directed to the specialists’ desks for medical treatment.s
In the Kality Elderly Care Center, the elderly only received basic medical care from a very limited number of general doctors and nurses. What is worse, lacks of medical equipment and insufficient referral capacity have led to many long-time treatment delays.
The medical crew also presented various gifts to the children of the Sebeta Orphanage Center which create exuded happiness and curious looks on children’s’ innocent faces.
The doctors, who also have rich experience in maternal and child health care, gently measured the blood pressure of the children and detect their teeth and gums health.
Most importantly, as the children and doctors get more familiar with each other several Chinese doctors even started to consider the idea of adopting Ethiopian orphans.
The free clinic lasted for four hours. When it was over, many Chinese and Ethiopian doctors said that the clinic service in this elderly and orphanage care centers shall continue in the future.
The aim of the China-aided free clinic is said not to offer onetime treatment, but to provide life-long treatment for patients, Herald learnt
The Ethiopian Herald Junly 3/2019
BY YANG TIAN
