"We will bear in mind the glorious mission of foreign aid program, be courageous, live up to the trust of the Chinese people, brave hardships, be willing to dedicate ourselves, save lives and help the injured, and make positive contributions to the promotion of friendship between the people of China and the recipient countries, and promote world peace!" On December 3, a farewell ceremony was held in Guangzhou for the 11th Chinese medical team to Ghana, on which members of the team took a solemn oath.

The 11th Chinese medical team to Ghana took a solemn oath

Zhu Hong, Party Secretary and Director of the Guangdong Health Commission, expressed his highest respect and heartfelt gratitude to the medical team members who will be heading to the front line of the foreign aid program. He requested the 11th Chinese medical team to Ghana to effectively improve the political awareness, to help the people of the recipient countries to relieve their pain and cure their diseases with superb medical skills, noble medical ethics and a strong sense of responsibility, to show the responsible image of China and of Guangdong, to express their love and caring for patients, and to provide quality medical services for the people of the recipient countries. At the same time, he said, we must fully understand the current epidemic prevention and control work will be long-lasting, complex and full of uncertainties. We must always be alert to the epidemic prevention and control, and adopt effective measures to protect ourselves. The employer of the dispatched personnel should do a good job in logistical support, strengthen humanistic care, and effectively solve the worries of the team members during their work abroad.

Yu Xueqing, president of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, introduced that the 11th Chinese medical team to Ghana consists of 11 medical staff from the departments of Anesthesiology, General Surgery, Cardiology, Radiology, Neurology, Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Ophthalmology. It was the first medical team for foreign aid with all the members coming from Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital. They will set off in the near future to carry out a year of foreign aid medical work in Ghana.

"We hope that everyone of you can fully demonstrate your medical skills and take good advantage of multidisciplinary cooperation to help local medical work in a comprehensive manner, and also let local people better understand China." Yu Xueqing said, since 1971 when Guangdong Province began to take part in the national foreign aid medical program, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital has started to provide medical aid to African countries under the overall guidance of Guangdong Health Commission. So far, it has sent a total of 20 people in 8 batches to the Chinese Medical Team to Africa.

"In the face of COVID-19, we will protect ourselves in the foreign country. A doctor's job is to save lives, and we won't hold back due to fear of diseases." Yu Dongnan, captain of the 11th Chinese medical team to Ghana and deputy chief physician of the Department of Anesthesiology of GDPH, said, "We will bring advanced medical technologies such as laparoscopy and modern medical concepts to Ghana people according to their needs and based on our disciplinary advantages."