Chinese medical team dispatched to Benin

YINCHUAN, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region on Tuesday sent a medical team to the West African country of Benin to provide medical services for locals, according to the regional health commission.

A total of 22 medical personnel will work in Benin for one-and-a-half years, the commission said. This is the 27th medical team from Ningxia to travel to Benin.

The medical workers have been dispatched from hospitals in Ningxia, covering fields of surgery, orthopedics, internal medicine, pediatrics, gynecology and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Yang Ping, a doctor from the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University and the leader of the team, said that the team will help improve Benin's health, medical treatment and hygiene levels, and promote exchanges and cooperation in the field of TCM.

China has been dispatching medical teams to Benin since 1978. By the end of 2023, Ningxia had sent 616 medical personnel across 26 teams to the country, providing medical services to more than 3 million people.

Medical teams from Ningxia last year officially established a TCM department at a local hospital in Benin, and have been pushing forward the development of telemedicine since 2019.