Hu Minxiong (R) poses for a photo with his understudy Gomolemo Montsho at Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital in Francistown, Botswana's second-largest city, on Oct. 24, 2024. (Photo by Shingirai Madondo/Xinhua)
GABORONE, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Kelesetse Bosha from Semotswane village, located 30 km southwest of Francistown, Botswana's second-largest city, will never forget how the 17th Chinese Medical Team members saved her life.
For many years, Bosha, 62, endured periodic, excruciating abdominal pain but initially dismissed it as insignificant. In June this year, after visiting her local clinic, she was referred to Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital in Francistown, where she was diagnosed with kidney stones.
"The kidney stones caused the unbearable pain I have suffered for years," Bosha told Xinhua at her bedside, following a successful laparoscopic surgery at the hospital. A mother of two, Bosha was initially distressed upon being recommended for surgery, as she had long feared open-wound operations and the associated pain after the procedure.
Fortunately, Bosha's diagnosis coincided with the arrival of the 17th Chinese Medical Team, which included Hu Minxiong, a urologist specializing in treating kidney stone-related abdominal pain. With expertise in laparoscopy, a minimally invasive surgical procedure requiring only small incisions, Hu quickly began assisting patients needing this technique.
"I will never forget how the members of the 17th Chinese Medical Team relieved me from years of agony," said a smiling Bosha, now the fifth beneficiary of the less invasive surgical procedure. Her laparoscopic surgery, performed in October, lasted just 90 minutes, much shorter than a conventional open-wound operation.
As a peasant farmer, the abdominal pain had prevented Bosha from tending to her crops. "Now I can farm without hesitation," she said. "The Chinese doctors have given me a new lease on life. The pain disappeared just hours after the operation."
Despite Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital's limited experience with laparoscopic surgeries, the Chinese doctors collaborated effectively with their local counterparts to perform Bosha's surgery in under two hours, earning recognition from their Botswanan colleagues. "The procedure is minimally invasive, resulting in less bleeding and quicker recovery," Hu explained, noting that many locals are now opting for this operation.
Irvin Kgetse, superintendent of Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital, said the arrival of the Chinese medical team is a blessing. "Dozens of patients with kidney-related ailments who would have been sent to India for treatment can now be treated locally," he said, adding that it would save the government significant amounts of money.
Since 1981, China has dispatched 17 medical teams comprising 557 medical personnel to Botswana, providing clinical services to more than 2 million patients in the past 43 years.
Gomolemo Montsho, a medical officer and Hu's understudy, praised the Chinese medical personnel's contributions. "I am learning a great deal from Dr. Hu, knowledge that I will apply to treat patients in the future," said Montsho.
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