MAPUTO, July 28 (Xinhua) -- On April 15, 1976, the first batch of 29 Chinese medical experts arrived in Mozambique, planting the seed for an enduring partnership that has since blossomed beyond clinical care to include medical training, technology transfer, emergency response, and healthcare infrastructure development.
In a recent interview with Xinhua, Mozambican Minister of Health Ussene Isse said that bilateral health cooperation has achieved positive results over the past five decades.
The dispatch of Chinese medical teams, in his eyes, is "not merely a medical cooperation project, but a history of solidarity and a partnership that has remained steadfast across generations despite changes in the international environment."
Over the past 50 years, China has sent 383 medical professionals in 26 teams to Mozambique, where they have treated approximately 1.4 million patients.
Alongside their routine clinical work, Chinese doctors have successfully performed a wide range of complex surgeries. In 1986, the fifth Chinese medical team successfully performed a replantation surgery on a patient with a severed upper arm. In 2019, the 22nd team carried out the resection of a giant liver tumor.
Among the beneficiaries is Inacio Cesar, a journalist for Television of Mozambique.
In 1987, at age six, Cesar suffered a serious injury after his fingers were caught in a flour mixer. He was rushed to Maputo Central Hospital, where Chinese doctors treated him.
"I am deeply grateful to the Chinese medical team for treating me with their professional skills," Cesar said. "Over the past 50 years of Mozambique-China medical cooperation, many people like me have received help from Chinese doctors."
Chinese medical teams have also actively contributed to emergency responses following natural disasters and other crises in Mozambique. Medical supplies and relief assistance from the Chinese side reached affected communities after Cyclone Idai struck the African country in 2019 and during severe flooding in 2026.
According to the Mozambican health minister, bilateral cooperation has played an important role in addressing public health challenges and protecting people's lives and health.
Apart from providing medical services, Isse noted that Chinese medical teams have helped build local capacity by training Mozambican healthcare professionals in fields including surgery, anesthesiology, and traditional Chinese medicine, while introducing advanced technologies such as telemedicine and laparoscopic surgery at Maputo Central Hospital.
In 2023, an intelligent laparoscopic training and assessment system was inaugurated at Maputo Central Hospital to enhance local doctors' capacity to perform abdominal surgeries.
In recent years, China and Mozambique have continued to join hands in strengthening medical institutions and specialist healthcare capacity. The China-Africa Joint Medical Center (Mozambique) was established at Maputo Central Hospital, where the two sides also plan to build a national surgical center.
According to Isse, the joint medical center will focus on improving trauma care, particularly for victims of road traffic accidents, and is expected to further enhance Mozambique's surgical capabilities and strengthen regional healthcare services.
Looking ahead, Isse expressed hope that the two countries will continue expanding cooperation in the health sector to further strengthen Mozambique's healthcare system and enable more Mozambicans to access high-quality medical services within their own country.
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