Chinese doctors relieve treatment burden of South Sudanese family

JUBA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The 12th batch of the Chinese medical team has brought relief and joy to a South Sudanese family after carrying out ambulatory surgery on a member of the family.

Viola Simon Benjamin, 24, a second-year student of business entrepreneurship at Starford International University College of South Sudan in Juba, the country's capital, had since 2020 been unable to concentrate in class due to intense lower back pain, which also rendered her incapable of doing home chores.

"Whenever I sat on the chair, I would support my lower back with a pillow. When I sit for long, I feel pain, and at times, I would get out of class because I could not manage to sit for long," said Benjamin. She visited members of the Chinese medical team on the advice of her friend at the Juba Teaching Hospital.

The doctors led by Wang Chuanxi, acting leader of the 12th batch of the Chinese medical team, on Sept. 28 carried out checks on Benjamin, whom they diagnosed with intramuscular lipoma in the back. The team recommended surgery on Oct. 23 during a medical outreach camp organized by the Chinese medical team at the clinic within the University of Juba.

The surgery was successful.

"I am feeling better right now because I am able to sit without pain; the Chinese doctors gave me some medicine that has instantly relieved the pain after the surgery," Benjamin told Xinhua after the operation.

She appreciated the team of Chinese doctors for lifting the burden on her family. Otherwise, it would mean the high cost of the surgery at most private health facilities in the country. "I appreciate the Chinese doctors because it is really a privilege for me to have gotten this operation free of charge. Before the surgery, I visited a South Sudanese doctor who told me that the operation would cost hundreds of dollars," Benjamin said.

Julia Sebit, Benjamin's mother, thanked the Chinese medical team for the in-kind support, adding that she was not in a position to foot the medical bills for the surgery.

"If the surgery had been done at another clinic, it could have been a lot of money that we cannot afford," Sebit said.

In November 2023, the Juba Teaching Hospital, where Chinese doctors are stationed, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Juba that entails successive visiting Chinese medical teams to provide training for medical staff at the university clinic, teaching of medical students and supply of medical equipment and reagents.

Suzan Peter Ladu, director of the University of Juba clinic, said Chinese specialist doctors often turn up twice a week to treat patients at the clinic and also train medical staff and students. Ladu said this was the first time Chinese doctors had performed surgery at the clinic since the signing of the MoU with the Juba Teaching Hospital.

According to Ladu, the university clinic has since 1977 been serving neighboring communities besides students and staff of the university.

"I think this surgery is a great transformation for us because since we signed the MoU, nothing like this has happened; today is the first time they have carried out a minor surgical operation. We need more, but currently, we lack a surgical ward," Ladu said.

Wang said it is an innovative approach that demonstrates the effectiveness of the partnership between the Chinese medical team at the Juba Teaching Hospital and the University of Juba.

"Once the minor operation can be performed at the clinic of the University of Juba, it benefits the patients nearby, because the patients don't have to go very far to seek minor operation treatment," Wang said.

Wang added that the Chinese medical team will continue to serve more patients by leveraging the clinic surgeries for patients at the University of Juba.

The 12th batch of the Chinese medical team immediately got to work after they arrived in the country in early September to replace the 11th batch, visiting orphanages and providing medical services at the main referral Juba Teaching Hospital.

Over the past 12 years, a total of 164 Chinese medical personnel have served in South Sudan, providing medical care to over 70,000 patients, performing more than 1,000 surgeries, and conducting over 1,300 endoscopic examinations. They have also conducted 21 free clinics at grassroots communities, examining and treating over 30,000 patients.