China to dispatch experts of traditional Chinese medicine to Cambodia to fight COVID-19

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- China and Cambodia on Tuesday signed an agreement on dispatching a team of traditional Chinese medicine experts to help Cambodia in the fight against COVID-19.

The deal was inked in Phnom Penh between Huang Luqi, visiting vice-commissioner of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM), and Cambodia's Health Minister Mam Bunheng, under the presence of Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian.

Speaking before the signing ceremony, Huang said the NATCM will send the team to Cambodia to carry out medical tasks at the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital in Phnom Penh for one year.

"During the period, the medical team will train qualified medical professionals from Cambodia's Ministry of Health, develop targeted training manual and courses for further education, and provide prevention, treatment and rehabilitation services on common diseases including COVID-19 for local people," he said.

"I'm confident that this agreement will not only benefit Cambodian medical experts, but also make significant contributions to improve the well-being of Cambodian people," he added.

Huang said the deal was signed in accordance with the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries in November, 2021.

For his part, Bunheng said the pact will not only further strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the fight against COVID-19, but also broaden cooperation in traditional medicine field.

"This agreement is crucial to help strengthen the capacity of Cambodian health experts in treating COVID-19 patients more effectively with traditional Chinese medicines," he said.

In Cambodia, Chinese patent medicines, namely Lianhua Qingwen capsules and Huashi Baidu granules, have been licensed to use for treating symptoms of COVID-19 patients.

"Traditional Chinese medicines are efficacious for treating patients with mild symptoms such as a runny nose, cough and fever," Bunheng said, adding that he himself always used these medicines.

According to the agreement, the NATCM will send the medical team comprising of not more than 50 capable professionals in clinical service and training to deliver medical service including traditional Chinese medicine and combination of Chinese and Western medicine at the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital.

Cambodia has well controlled the COVID-19 pandemic after most of the kingdom's population have been fully vaccinated against the disease.

The Southeast Asian nation has reported zero deaths from the COVID-19 for three weeks straight, according to the Ministry of Health.

The country registered 28 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the national total caseload to 121,094, with 3,015 deaths and 117,247 recoveries, the ministry said.

Cambodia has so far administered at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines to 14.33 million people, or 89.6 percent of its 16-million population, it said, adding that of them, 13.74 million, or 85.9 percent, are fully vaccinated with two required shots.

Most of the vaccines used in the country's inoculation campaign are China's Sinovac and Sinopharm.