A Chinese medical assistance team left Beijing on Wednesday evening heading for the Republic of Guinea, where they will introduce advanced technologies and assist local healthcare professionals over the next 18 months.

It is the 31st such team to be sent to this African country, and it consists of 24 members. Of these team members, 22 are from the renowned Beijing Friendship Hospital, with their expertise covering the likes of thoracic surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedics, vascular surgery, neurology, cardiology and more. The other two members are experts in public health and health policy, and are from the Beijing Municipal Health Commission and the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

The team was selected in September last year. Team members then learned French and received systematic training on the treatment of diseases common in this tropical country.

According to Wang Bin, head of the team, they will quickly adapt to their new environment after arrival, continue to promote the establishment of a joint medical center, collaborate with both local institutions and professionals to conduct field visits and prepare samples, and promote the culture of traditional Chinese medicine, while striving to improve local medical and health conditions and standards.

China has been sending medical teams overseas for more than six decades. The first team sent overseas went to Algeria in 1963.

As of the end of 2023, China had dispatched over 30,000 medical personnel to 76 countries and regions across the world -- providing medical services to nearly 300 million patients.