Tanzania hails 40 years of medical assistance from China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-18 11:29

DAR ES SALAAM -- Chinese medical teams have made tremendous contribution to improving public health conditions in Tanzania in the past 40 years, Tanzanian health officials said Friday.

Chinese doctors have been widely acclaimed among the Tanzanian people for their superb medical skills since they came to the African country, Tanzania's Chief Medical Officer Deo Mtasiwa said Friday at an event marking the 40th anniversary of China's medical aid to the country.

Up to now, over 1,000 doctors from China's Shandong province have offered medical services in Tanzania, making themselves an indispensable supplement to Tanzania's public health system, said Wilson Mukama, permanent secretary of Tanzania's Health Ministry, adding that the Tanzanian people are full of gratitude for their help.

Tanzania established friendly ties with China since its independence and Chinese medical teams have done their part to promote the friendship between the two peoples, Mukama said.

Chinese Ambassador Liu Xinsheng said on the occasion that the Chinese government attached great importance to medical aid abroad and would help bolster Tanzania's public health system by sending more medical personnel.

The current Chinese medical team, composed of 25 doctors, treats more than 60,000 outpatients and 17,000 inpatients every year. The Chinese doctors conduct more than 4,000 medical operations and give emergency treatment to more than 1,200 people annually.