Six decades of cooperation foster deep trust between Chinese doctors and African communities

What the report says

A Xinhua-published feature republished by The Independent Uganda describes how decades of Chinese medical cooperation in Africa have built trust through direct treatment, emergency operations and training for local staff. The article centers on Seif Amour Rajab, a Tanzanian from Pemba Island who regained the ability to open his mouth and speak after a four-hour jaw operation by Chinese doctors last December, following years of difficulty after a childhood fall.

The piece says China began sending medical teams abroad in 1963 and has since deployed about 30,000 medical workers to 76 countries and regions, with most serving in Africa. It also notes plans under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Action Plan for 2025-2027, including sending 2,000 medical personnel and public health experts to Africa and expanding joint medical and traditional medicine centers.

Beyond patient care, the report emphasizes skills transfer. Chinese doctors in Tanzania trained local medics, including a doctor on Pemba Island who extracted a swallowed coin from a toddler with guidance from a Chinese specialist. In Ethiopia, a China-Africa minimally invasive medicine partnership launched training centers for robot-assisted surgery and laparoscopy. The article says such cooperation has helped Chinese teams treat millions of patients, run free clinics, and build specialty partnerships across the continent.

The feature also highlights personal sacrifices, including the death of Chinese anesthesiologist Zhang Junqiao while rescuing a drowning woman in Dar es Salaam, as an example of the long-running ties it says have deepened goodwill between Chinese doctors and African communities.