Chinese government donates medical supplies under the Bright Journey Eye Care Mission for Kiribati in 2023 (linked to Record ID#107523)

On September 26, 2023, the Guangdong "Medical Aid to Islands - Bright Journey" medical team from China held a donation handover ceremony at Tungaru Central Hospital under the Ministry of Health and Medical Services of Kiribati, donating a batch of medical supplies and equipment to the local community.

The “Bright Journey” medical team was led by Professor Chen Weirong of the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center (ZOC) of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong Province.

Chinese Ambassador to Kiribati Zhou Limin, Kiribati Ministry of Health Secretary Teuea, and the second Chinese Medical Aid Team to Kiribati (see Record ID#97268) attended the ceremony and witnessed Prof. Chen sign a handover certificate for the donated materials with the Kiribati side. The monetary value of the donation is unknown.

This donation is part of Guangdong Province’s 17-day "Medical Mission to the Islands - Bright Journey" event, in which the Brightness team performed eye surgeries for 93 patients in Kiribati and Fiji.

The mission was significant as it marked the resumption of China’s Bright Journey Action in the South Pacific after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

Upon their arrival at Tungaru Central Hospital on September 21, the Brightness medical team faced challenges with medical infrastructure, including weather-damaged ophthalmic equipment.

They undertook extensive cleaning and disinfection of the hospital’s surgical and outpatient areas to ensure safe and sterile conditions for eye surgeries. A microscope sent from China in 2019 was restored and repaired for use in surgery.

After this, the Brightness Team conducted a two-day, free cataract surgery program in Kiribati (captured in Record ID#107523).

On September 30, 2023, the medical team successfully completed its medical mission to the South Pacific island countries and returned to China.