Chinese medical team treats nearly 100 patients at free outreach in Zanzibar

The 36th Chinese medical team to Zanzibar treated nearly 100 patients at a free medical outreach at Chaani Health Center on 24 October, Xinhua reported.

Team leader Wang Wei said the team set up service areas for surgery, internal medicine, ophthalmology, otolaryngology and dentistry. With portable equipment, the medics offered one-stop care and used traditional Chinese medicine techniques, including acupuncture, for common musculoskeletal complaints.

The team also held health education sessions on preventing Ebola, schistosomiasis and malaria.

Wang said the team will keep working with local health institutions to meet community medical needs. Annia Ibrahim Ndossa, an official with Zanzibar's Ministry of Health, said such grassroots initiatives bring healthcare closer to communities and improve residents' access to professional medical advice.

China has sent medical teams to Zanzibar since 1964, when Jiangsu Province dispatched the first. The Jiangsu Commission of Health said in November 2024 that 847 medical workers in 34 batches had provided diagnoses and treatment there.

The 36th team was welcomed at a ceremony on 17 September at Abdulla Mzee Hospital, the largest public hospital on Pemba Island, the Nanjing-based Yangtse Evening Post reported. Members of the 35th team, who had completed a year of service, were decorated at the ceremony.