Chinese government sends 6th medical team to the Gambia in 2023

On June 20, 2023, the 6th Chinese medical aid team to The Gambia departed from Shenyang to begin a one-year medical assistance mission in Banjul.

The team was commissioned by the National Health Commission of China and organized by the Liaoning Provincial Health Commission.

Its ten members were selected from eight institutions, including China Medical University, Dalian Medical University, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Liaoning Provincial People's Hospital, Dalian Women and Children’s Medical Center (Group), and Liaoning University of Science and Technology.

Their specialties span internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, pediatrics, acupuncture, and anesthesiology.

The team is primarily stationed at Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in Banjul but also conducts outreach services at facilities such as Brikama District Hospital.

In November 2023, the team partnered with SOS Children’s Village Clinic in Bakoteh to launch a cervical cancer screening initiative aimed at improving early detection, raising public awareness, and strengthening local diagnostic capacity in women’s healthcare.

On June 1, 2023, the team provided pediatric medical exams, acupuncture treatment, and donated hygiene and medical supplies during a visit to SOS Children’s Village Bakoteh.

During that outreach, they identified and created follow-up plans for children with congenital heart conditions (see record IDs #103854, #108890).

China resumed diplomatic relations with The Gambia in 2016 and has since dispatched annual medical teams under a bilateral cooperation protocol.

Liaoning Province has now sent six long-term medical teams to The Gambia since 2017, in addition to a COVID-19 expert group and an ophthalmology “Bright Journey” team.