27th Chinese medical team arrives in Benin

COTONOU, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- The 27th Chinese medical team, tasked with providing health services and exchanging medical experience with Beninese health personnel, arrived Wednesday in Cotonou, the economic hub of Benin.

Sent by northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the medical team consists of 22 members working in various specialties, including pediatrics, gynecology, anesthesia, ophthalmology, traditional Chinese medicine and pharmacy, and will work in the cities of Lokossa in the southwest and Natitingou in the northwest of Benin.

"The aim of this mission is to strengthen friendly cooperative relations in the field of health, advance the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, and jointly build a health community for all," said Ren Yongxing, deputy director of the regional health commission of Ningxia and head of the delegation.

Since China sent the first medical team to Benin in 1978, the team members have consistently rotated. Over the years, more than 600 Chinese medical personnel have conducted hundreds of thousands of medical consultations and performed numerous operations to serve the Beninese people.