An area of assistance by the People’s Republic of China to PNG is health.
This Wednesday, saw the signing to renew the Protocol of Assignment of Chinese medical Team to Papua New Guinea. An assistance received by PNG since 2002.
Following the expiration of the previous protocol, the recent signing of renewal ceremony will bring forth the 13th Batch of Medical Team from China to PNG.
This was expressed by the Secretary for Health, Dr Osborne Liko.
Under this protocol, the first Chinese Medical Team to PNG arrived in Port Moresby on the 25th of October, 2002, about 21 years ago.
A total of 12 medical teams have been dispatched from China to PNG consisting of up to 120 experts in total within that given period.
Head of the 12th Chinese Medical Team to PNG, Dr Chen Gang, affirmed that the members of the teams are all highly skilled and dedicated medical professionals.
The medical teams over the past 21 years provided medical consultations and treatments to 160 thousand patients and performed over 10 thousand surgeries.
In addition, the team had trained around 9,500 local medical staff and introduced more than 230 new medical technologies.
This was shared by the Chinese Ambassador to PNG, Zeng Fanhua who commended the bilateral protocol as an unwavering friendship in the field of Health.
“The team has not only collaborated with the Port Moresby General Hospital but had also conducted medical treatments and trainings in other provinces,” the Ambassador said.
The protocol also enabled PNG nationals in the medical profession the opportunity to visit China for short term trainings.
Recent accomplishments noted between the two countries in the field of health is the Chinese Funded Enga Provincial Hospital that had been handed over to PNG and the recently launched China-PNG Friendship Center of Minimally Invasive Surgery that is jointly managed and operated by the Chinese Medical Team and the Port Moresby General Hospital
This year marks the 60thanniversiary of China sending Medical teams to developing countries.
