Chinese medical team eases burden of operating South Sudan's orphanage

JUBA, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- In the past, managers of Confident Children out of Conflict (CCC) based in South Sudan's capital of Juba used to spend 1,500 U.S. dollars monthly on health care for some 61 orphans housed in the facility but with the presence of Chinese medical team, the situation has changed for the better.

Hellen Murshal Boro, executive director of CCC lauded the ninth batch of the Chinese medical team who paid a visit to the orphanage on Sunday for helping reduce the high costs of treating children suffering from malaria and other ailments.

"We have children here who have chronic medical conditions like HIV/AIDS. So while HIV medications are free, malaria treatment is not free. You have to have clinical examination and tablets and these are very expensive to buy," Boro told Xinhua in Juba after receiving a consignment of medicine and food from the visiting Chinese medical team.

"Although UNICEF is supporting us monthly with feeding money, actually most of our money goes to health care and so the visitation by Chinese doctors provides us with enough medicine that saves us from buying from the private pharmacies at exorbitant costs," she added.

Boro said the Chinese doctors during their monthly visit to the orphanage do general medical checkups on all the children, adding that they often help detect rare complications.

In addition, she revealed that the presence of these Chinese doctors provides them with a chance to channel money that would have been spent entirely on health care to buying clothes, shoes, and mattresses for the orphaned children.

Ding Zhen, general surgeon and team leader of the ninth batch of the Chinese medical team said they not only do charity work at the orphanage but also conduct extensive checkups including follow-ups on the children.

"Today we came here and our first assignment was to examine the children's health," said Ding.

Ding leads his team of medical experts from Anhui Province that works alongside their South Sudanese counterparts to examine and treat patients at the country's largest teaching and referral hospital in Juba.

Since 2013, the Chinese medical team has offered free medical services in South Sudan and also helped with the capacity building of local health workers and medical students.