A see-off ceremony for the 24th and 20th groups of the Hunan medical aid team sent to the Republic of Sierra Leone and the Republic of Zimbabwe was held in Changsha on February 27, 2023. Hunan Vice Governor Qin Guowen attended and addressed the ceremony.

There are 32 members in the medical aid groups, with 21 going to Sierra Leone and 11 to Zimbabwe. They will set off the next day for a one-year medical mission abroad.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the occasion when China sent its first medical aid team abroad and the 50th anniversary of Hunan Province dispatching its first international medical aid team. Vice Governor Qin noted that over the past 50 years, Hunan has fully implemented the national diplomatic strategy and successively sent 530 medical workers in 42 groups to Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe. Hunan medical teams have actively carried out disease diagnosis and treatment, participated in the international fight against the pandemic, and striven to promote traditional Chinese medicine overseas. It has filled the gaps in several medical technologies in recipient countries and built the largest traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture and moxibustion center in southern Africa, which has won wide praise from the international community.

Qin, on behalf of the provincial government, extended his heartfelt thanks to all those who are or were on the international medical aid missions and their families and made expectations to the medical team members who are ready to set out. He asked to implement the spirit of President Xi Jinping's instructions on international medical aid; adhere to the principle of serving the overall interests; and, further enhance the sense of mission on international medical aid.

He called on the medical personnel to:
- Use their medical proficiency and ethics to benefit local people and further enhance the influence of the Hunan medical aid force;

- Collaborate with domestic and overseas medical workers to further strengthen and guarantee the coordination of international medical aid; and,

- Continue to promote international healthcare cooperation between Hunan and Africa and the development of China-Africa healthcare undertakings to make Hunan's contributions to China's international medical aid mission.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Yu Jiangjiang

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn