China sends the 13th medical team to Eritrea in 2019

On August 23rd, 2019 Eritrea welcomed the 13th medical team sent by China to provide free medical care. There were 18 members on the team with an average age of 39. This occurred with the departure of the 12th batch of medical aid teams that China sent to Eritrea (Record ID#56089).

In their 17 month term of service, the medical team received more than 13,400 patients, conducted 4,864 Chinese acupuncture and physiotherapy, wrote 2,398 image reports, and completed 1,554 various operations, including 260 major operations.Traditionally, the teams provide medical services at Orotta Hospital (Captured in #87276), Halibet National Referral Hospital, Berhan Aini National Referral Hospital, and Asmara Physiotherapy Center, all of which are all located in the capital city of Asmara.

The team arrived in Eritrea a few days earlier on August 17th, and served until January 29, 2021. Given the time-frame, the medical team played a large role in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic.

China has successfully sent 12 medical teams to Eritrea of 222 members since sending the first medical team to Eritrea in September 1997.

Sending medical experts to Eritrea is an important measure for China to implement the China-Africa Cooperation Forum Action Plan, as was outlined on September 3-4 at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.