This year, 2013 marks 40th anniversary since the first Chinese medical team arrived in Uganda on a mission of extending medical services to Ugandans as well as sharing their experiences with their Ugandan counterparts in confronting health challenges. The year, also marks the 60th anniversary of China dispatching their medical experts to Africa with the first team on the continent having arrived in Algeria in 1963. In typical example of the ancient African philosophy of Ubuntu (humanity to others) which seeks to speak in African mind that “I am what I am because of who we all are,” is also similar to Chinese philosophy of Confucianism which emphasises personal ethics and being good to others.
According to China’s National Health Commission, since 1963, China has dispatched more than 30,000 medical experts to more than 76 countries globally but with a primary focus on African countries providing 290 million diagnoses and treatment to local people. In Uganda, since 1983, China has dispatched 22 medical teams including 229 doctors and experts in the country to extend medical services and share experiences with their Ugandan experts.
In Uganda, the 22nd group of Chinese Medical Team arrived in the country on 10th June 2022. The group is currently working at the China-Uganda Friendship Hospital commonly known as Naguru hospital. According to Chinese Embassy in Uganda, since their arrival, the team has received and worked on more than 7,800 patients and performed 1,100 operations. This in all ways is a huge boost to the country’s health sector while easing pains of patients especially those that have benefited from their services. Also, in effort to reach more people especially those from outside Kampala, since June last year, the team has conducted 9 medical tours in central and northern Uganda extending medical services to more Ugandans in other districts.
Additionally, China funded the construction of China-Uganda friendship hospital. If critically analysed, the construction of a 100-bed Naguru hospital cannot be ignored for it added on the country’s effort of strengthening its health services. Recently, Chinese ambassador to Uganda His Excellency Zhang Lizhong told Ugandan journalists and think tanks that currently, the Embassy of People’s Republic of China in Uganda is in talks with Ugandan ministry of health to upgrade Naguru hospital with aim of transforming it into a national trauma centre.
Going by the famous saying that the highest ethical act is to save life, it is safe to conclude that China’s medical support has played a great role in as far as improving provision of critical services in the country is concerned. No matter how cliché this may sound, aware that the highest ethical act anyone can do is to save life, one can safely conclude that by investing in and supporting Uganda’s health sector, China is in many ways saving lives and by extension contributing to Uganda’s social economic development. This is based on the fact that with a strong and functioning health sector, the country is assured of healthy people who in turn engage in nation building activities.
Like many other developing countries, Uganda’s health sector is still having challenges and needs more support to equip it with capabilities to serve all Ugandans to satisfaction. Therefore, as a Ugandan and a medical practitioner, seeing anyone supporting the strengthening and building of our country’s health system is gratifying and hence, the reason to applaud those supporting our health sector.
When it comes to offering a hand to allies and sharing their experiences in handling health challenges, China has been a reliable friend and partner to not only Uganda but entire African continent and arguably, all countries world over have benefited from China’s generosity towards medical sector. The most recent example of China’s readiness to work with the world in addressing health challenges on a global scale was China’s readiness in sharing medical supplies and vaccines needed in containing and controlling the spread of COVID-19.
Whereas most developed countries chose vaccine nationalism resulting into scarcity of then much needed vaccines at the height of Covid-19 pandemic, China stood shoulder to shoulder with people especially developing countries to ensure many got vaccinated against covid-19. This was done by donating billions of Covid-19 vaccine doses to African countries. Additionally, China accepted to share her technology and jointly started producing Covid-19 vaccines with some African countries among them Algeria, Egypt and Morocco.
Indeed, at the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese president Xi Jinping warned against vaccine nationalism and proposed that COVID-19 vaccines should be made a global public good and benefit, in particular, developing countries with low or no capacity to produce own vaccines. Consequently, China provided over over 2 billion doses of vaccines to more than 120 countries and international organisations, of which over a billion were provided to Africa with Uganda receiving 1.6 million doses. This is on top of China funding the construction of the new headquarters of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). To China, this was meant to help African countries in containing Covid-19 pandemic and also help the continent to better coordinate its approach to future pandemics.
In conclusion, as the old English saying goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed, to African countries, China has continuously proved to be a reliable partner by working with our countries in crucial sectors. Our duty as citizens is to welcome such cooperation with aim of supporting the flourishing China-Africa cooperation as the two sides continue efforts to build a community of shared future for mankind in the new era.
Dr. Ham Wasswa is a medical doctor and research fellow at the Development Watch Centre.
Email: hammatovu@hotmail.com