Chinese medical teams to Equatorial Guinea: steadfast defenders of China-Africa friendship

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the dispatch of China's first medical team to Equatorial Guinea, a West African country on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. Over the past five decades, the teams have honored their commitments and contributed to the building of a China-Africa community of health. 

Since 1971, South China's Guangdong province has been shouldering the mission of dispatching medical teams to Equatorial Guinea and sent 31 teams with 586 medical staff thus far. On Jan 13, 2021, the 31st team, with 25 members in total, arrived in the country's capital of Malabo. Due to the grave COVID-19 situation, they had to wear full protection in extreme heat. Doctor Lin Xianjie said, “The temperature was above 30 degrees Celsius every day and there was barely a fan, not to mention air-conditioning. We were totally soaked in sweat after work.”

Despite these hardships, Chinese doctors have devoted their time, energy and, for some, even lives to medical service in Equatorial Guinea. Ophthalmologist He Xianjie, from Qionghai in South China's Hainan province, was a member of the sixth team as well as a CPC member. He suffered from a sudden cerebral hemorrhage while at work and died at the age of 42 on March 30, 1978. The death of a doctor from China shocked the whole country. Hundreds of people bade him a final farewell and the president and his wife attended his funeral. Since then, every team that has been sent to the country would sweep the doctor's tomb on the Tomb-Sweeping Day.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, the two countries have joined hands in the fight against the virus. In February 2020, when the epidemic was raging in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, the government of Equatorial Guinea donated $2 million to the Chinese government to support China's fight against the epidemic. Three months later, the Chinese government sent a medical expert team to aid Equatorial Guinea. 

Chen Guangwei, who led the 31st team, said in addition to their aid service for local people they also provided timely medical and consulting services to Chinese citizens in Equatorial Guinea, especially concerning COVID-19 vaccinations and questions related to epidemic prevention and control. With their help, all Chinese citizens in the country have been vaccinated against the virus.