Tanzania's Zanzibar acupuncturists thank Chinese medical team for TCM training

DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Local acupuncturists in Tanzania's Zanzibar have expressed their gratitude to the 34th Chinese medical team for providing training in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) acupuncture techniques.

Li Dengke, a Chinese medical team member, organized a training lesson for local acupuncturists at the Mnazi Mmoja Hospital on Friday, with more than 20 local doctors in attendance.

"Thank you, Chinese doctors, for bringing new TCM technology to Zanzibar and training us selflessly," said Hafsa Mohamed Ali, head of the TCM center at the hospital.

She said that through the training, local acupuncturists had gained an understanding of the basic principles of scalp acupuncture, including how to select acupuncture points and their functions.

"It is believed that this training will greatly improve the ability of local acupuncturists to treat brain diseases and promote new Chinese medical diagnosis and treatment technologies in Zanzibar," she said.

Li said that many patients in Zanzibar suffer from stroke sequelae or cerebral palsy, enduring difficulties in physical movement and speech, noting that scalp acupuncture is an effective treatment for such conditions, though it had not yet been practiced in Zanzibar.

Since 1964, when east China's Jiangsu Province dispatched its first medical team to Zanzibar, 847 medical workers in 34 batches have provided medical services for some 8.3 million locals so far, according to the Jiangsu Commission of Health.