LILONGWE, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Malawi's Ministry of Health has said that the Chinese medical team has significantly strengthened healthcare service delivery in the country through the deployment of specialized medical personnel and the provision of advanced medical equipment to public hospitals.
The remarks followed the donation of assorted medical equipment worth about 144 million Malawian kwacha (approximately 86,400 U.S. dollars) to Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH), as well as the deployment of six Chinese doctors to support service delivery at the facility earlier this week.
In a telephone interview with Xinhua on Saturday, Ministry of Health and Sanitation spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe said the Chinese medical team has played a vital role in improving healthcare services at Malawian hospitals.
He added that the team has been instrumental in supplying medical equipment and training healthcare workers at major referral hospitals, including Kamuzu Central Hospital in the central region and Mzuzu Central Hospital in the northern region, which he said has contributed to improved service delivery.
Commenting on the development, KCH Director General Amos Msekandiana said the Chinese medical team has helped address critical staff shortages at the hospital, particularly in the radiology department, which previously had only one radiologist serving the entire central region, as well as in the cardiology department, which also faced limited specialist capacity.
Msekandiana said the recently donated equipment, including electrocardiographs and fetal Doppler detectors, among other items, will help meet the hospital's clinical needs, especially during emergencies, and improve the quality of healthcare services by addressing equipment gaps.
He added that some of the six specialized doctors deployed at KCH will support the pediatrics department, which previously had only two Malawian doctors attending to patients.
China has been dispatching medical teams and supplying medical equipment to Malawi since 2008 as part of ongoing efforts to support healthcare service delivery in both rural and urban hospitals across the country.
A single purchase
