Since 1963, China has sent its first medical aid team to Africa. 57 years later, Gansu Province undertook the national medical aid mission and formally sent the first medical aid team to Madagascar. And now the medical assistance to Madagascar has gone through 44 glorious years since its inception.

    Over these years, Chinese doctors have been working in remote rural areas lacking water or electricity. They are selfless and devoted themselves to the aid work. No matter it was on holidays or at night, they would be on call at every moment without complaints. They have overcome such enormous difficulties as different languages, difficult lives, unfamiliar environments, shortage of medicines, hot weather, mosquito bites and rampant diseases. Many comrades, though infected with malaria with a high fever of 40 degrees, still persisted in their daily work and received transfusion treatment at night. The operation was performed by using only a flashlight and a few candles, without any oxygen, blood, electricity or water, and without the cooperation of other doctors.

    Dong Jianguo, an anesthetist from the Department of Anesthesiology of our hospital, has provided medical aid for Madagascar three times in the past ten years. Time flies, his aid for Africa nearly ended again. When his team arrived in Madagascar, they faced novel culture and strange environment. It is one of the least developed countries in the world, with weak industrial foundation and lagging economy. 90% of the people are in poverty. They are short of food, clothing, and medicine. The shortage of medicine caused great difficulty to their daily work. However, the medical workers tried to use the limited medical resources to produce the maximum effect via unity and cooperation, curing countless patients with injuries and illnesses. 

    As Mr. Dong put it, “Thanks to the support of our country and the assistance of local people, we have overcome those difficulties very soon. In Madagascar, we were treated like family members by local people and government. And we cared for their needs. We always put the medical work in the first place.” The work of our medical team has demonstrated the spirit of benevolence, noble virtue, and the boundless love of the medical staff.” 

    In the ordinary position, our medical team completed the glorious and sacred medical assistance task. In fact, Dong Jianguo’s right hand got injured during the work and the injury of extensor tendon made him suffered a lot. Even in this case, he still persisted in treating patients all the time.

    The current COVID-19 pandemic is raging around the world including Madagascar and causing unexpected damage. The pandemic aggravated the poor health system of Madagascar. But Dong Jianguo said, “Although we are struggling in Madagascar with poor medical condition, we have the confidence to win this battle supported by our country.” As international doctors from China, they have shared successful measures of fighting the epidemic and worked together with local medical staff to win this battle. 

    Zhang Chunlin, a pharmacist of our hospital, have aided Madagascar from 2018 to 2020. It has been one and a half years since she was engaged in the medical assistance. She introduced to us, “In the hospital where I work, I can often see those patients with anxious expression on their faces. The high cost of medicine made them frown and sigh. They also got frustrated because they are suffering from poverty and incurable diseases.   At present, we are in an emergency situation because the outbreak and the spread of COVID-19. I feel compassion for them, and I feel that the foreign medical aid has a long way to go.”

    Since most local people have a very low level of education and few people can understand French. Therefore, she studied local language in spare time, and tried her best to make detailed medical advice in the clearest and simplest daily local language. At the same time, she marked the dosage prominently on the medicine box and told the patients how to use the medicine. Though unprivileged, most Malagasy are very polite and behave well. As a medical worker, she paid kindness and friendship, while gained respect and gratitude from patients. True happiness is not about the superiority of enjoying nice food, wearing elaborate clothing, living in grand housing and driving luxury cars, but is the enrichment of life and the beauty of tranquil soul. 

    Thus, as Zhang described, “As I look back on this work experience many years later, I can say with a clear conscience that I once supported Africa, helped those poor people, witnessed their struggle, and understood their difficulties...”

    Qiang Raosheng, a doctor from the Department of Gastrointestinal and Hernia Surgery of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University, participated in the 18th Medical team of the People’s Republic of China, and also undertook medical assistance task. During the medical assistance in Madagascar, he has received nearly 10,000 patients and completed more than 1,500 surgeries, and some of them were rare cases in China. Besides, he also helped and taught local doctors to perform complex thyroid surgery and splenectomy for hypersplenism caused by schistosomiasis. Sometimes he even had to pay the medical bills for those patients in need. His outstanding performance was highly appraised by the Ministry of Health of Madagascar and the pictures of surgeries were exhibited in the Embassy on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Madagascar.

    In 2020, Qiang Raosheng and Ma Yi from our hospital will join in the 23rd medical aid team to Madagascar again. Now COVID-19 is rampant in Madagascar, but it would not falter their resolution and confidence to fulfill the mission. They believed that the internationalist should retrograde with the white coat of armor at such times like this. 

By Dong Jianguo/Zhang Chunlin/Qiang Raosheng/ Lin Juanzhen

Edited by Office of International Cooperation and Communication