According to DRC Deputy Health Minister Serge Emmanuel Holenn, Chinese medical teams have played a vital role in improving healthcare in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This was confirmed during the reception ceremony held in Kinshasa, where the 22nd batch of the Chinese medical team was welcomed and the 21st medical team bid farewell as they complete their mission.
Holenn expressed his gratitude to the Chinese government for sending medical teams to the DRC for over 50 years. He emphasized the successful and long-standing health cooperation between the two countries, especially in overcoming challenges like Ebola and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chinese medical teams have been instrumental in protecting the health of thousands of families in the DRC.
The 21st batch of the Chinese medical team, consisting of 21 members, has been stationed at the Sino-Congolese Friendship Hospital in Kinshasa and the Haut-Katanga General Reference Hospital in Lubumbashi for the past year.
China first sent a medical team to the DRC, then known as Zaire, in 1973. Since then, the team members have rotated consistently. Over the years, nearly 600 Chinese medical personnel have conducted hundreds of thousands of medical consultations and performed numerous surgeries to serve the Congolese people.