Feature: Cameroon hails health cooperation with China for half a century

by Arison Tamfu, Wang Ze

YAOUNDE, July 29 (Xinhua) -- As early as six in the morning, Marceline Mbo had already taken her seat in a makeshift but comprehensive Chinese clinic outside Saint Brigitte Health Center in Afanoya, a village on the outskirts of Yaounde, Cameroon's capital.

The mother of three came to seek treatment for a toothache and an eye problem that had lasted for three years. She was accompanied by her two children, who are also suffering from ailments.

"I'm waiting for the Chinese doctors ... to treat the eye pain and the toothache, and for the children, they can treat them for malaria," said the 40-year-old.

Sitting beside Mbo were Essomba Messomo and his wife, Onana Josephine Messomo.

"We arrived early. At 5:30, we were already on our way here. I came for my eyes. My vision is blurry. I have a severe headache," said Josephine Messomo, 60.

As the sun rose over Afanoya, patients began to register and then see doctors in various specialties. The doctors are members of the 24th batch of the Chinese medical team in Cameroon.

Mbo was among the first patients seen by Chinese doctors for the day in the hospital, at the ophthalmology section.

"There were letters I had to read, and after that, they prescribed eye drops. I feel reassured and confident that my problem will be resolved," Mbo said.

Josephine Messomo said she was well received. "They are real professionals, these Chinese doctors."

Her 82-year-old husband felt relieved after seeing Chinese doctors and taking medication given by them, she said.

The three-day free treatment camp, which ended over the weekend, was part of a series of activities commemorating the 50th anniversary of health cooperation between China and Cameroon.

The first Chinese medical team arrived in Cameroon, in the town of Mbalmayo, in 1975.

"Since then, they have continued to provide care, share skills, and address dashed hopes in the most isolated regions," said Cameroonian Minister of Public Health Manaouda Malachie. "Through these missions, medicine has become a fraternity, and the impact of Chinese action in Cameroon has become more perceptible and tangible."

For 50 years, China has dispatched 24 medical teams, comprising 786 personnel, to Cameroon, said Kang Yijiong, head of the current Chinese medical team in Cameroon.

"The medical team has branches in the capital city of Yaounde and the small town of Mbalmayo," he said. "For half a century, we have provided outpatient and emergency services to over 3.3 million patients, performed over 160,000 surgeries, and treated over 49,000 critically ill patients. We have also organized nearly 200 free medical camps."

Among the people who have benefited from Chinese medical largess is Liliane Mfoumou, who lives in Ngat-Bane, a village in southern Cameroon.

Mfoumou, now 72, had endured pain for years from a severe back injury. When the Chinese medical team visited Ngat-Bane in 2022, she received treatment from a Chinese acupuncturist, who inserted fine needles into her skin at "acupoints."

"The magic performed by the Chinese doctor healed me. Today, I go to the farm regularly and do other activities. I feel no pain. I am so thankful to the Chinese doctors," Mfoumou told Xinhua by phone.

Recently, the Chinese medical team in Mbalmayo provided free medical services at the SOS Children's Village.

In a letter addressed to the team after the services, SOS Children's Village expressed "immense joy and deep gratitude."

"You showed exemplary commitment to the well-being of the most vulnerable," the letter read.

For 50 years, China has also funded major medical facilities in Cameroon, including two gynecologic-obstetric and pediatric hospitals in Yaounde and the commercial hub of Douala.

"These hospitals, which have long carried the very significant designation of Chinese Reference Hospitals, are true healthcare flagships that symbolize medical excellence," said Manaouda, the health minister.

The actions of Chinese medical teams in Cameroon represented a shared vision of a fairer world, where access to health care and services is a right, not a luxury, he said.

"Through these actions, China does not simply give; it shares. It does not dictate; it proposes. It does not impose itself; it cooperates," the minister said.

"This 50th anniversary is not just a celebration. It is a call to aim further, higher, and stronger," he said.

Eunice Nchang, a senior nurse at Yaounde Gyneco-Obstetrics and Pediatric Hospital, said Cameroonian and Chinese doctors worked shoulder-to-shoulder in treating patients and offering much-needed medical services.

"The biggest gain for Cameroon these 50 years is the experience we have gained from Chinese doctors," she said. "Chinese medical teams share their expertise for the well-being of many Cameroonians. This is real support in a context where Cameroonian hospitals lack qualified personnel and equipment." Enditem