Chinese medical team undertakes volunteer mission in Ethiopia

A team of over a dozen Chinese medical experts carried out a two-week medical aid mission in Ethiopia in August, providing free consultations, performing surgeries and training local doctors.

The mission was organized by Chinese Medical Volunteers, an initiative founded in 2017 to improve healthcare services in less developed and rural regions. China has been sending medical teams to Africa since 1963.

The aid mission took place from Aug 7 at the Chinese-invested Addis Ababa Silk Road General Hospital in Ethiopia's capital.

The medical team consisted of specialists such as neurosurgery, ophthalmology, gynecology and cardiac surgery. They also brought with them medical supplies valued at 3 million yuan ($413,000).

A local patient who benefited from the mission was 3-year-old Hassen Endris. He had been in critical condition with a brain tumor, which caused partial paralysis, blindness and severe hydrocephalus. Local hospitals had deemed his case untreatable.

With consent from the boy's mother, Chinese medical professionals performed a nine-hour surgery that successfully removed the tumor. The child is recovering well, according to the doctors involved.

Video provided by Chinese Medical Volunteers.