The 21st Chinese (Shanxi) medical aid team to the African country of Djibouti departed Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province, on Jan 5 to carry out a one-year medical aid mission.

The medical aid team is composed of 12 staff members from the departments of stomatology, otorhinolaryngology, gastroenterology, clinical laboratory, ophthalmology and traditional Chinese medicine at Jinzhong First People's Hospital, Jinzhong Second People's Hospital, Jinzhong Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, and Xinzhou People's Hospital.

On Dec 10, 2021, the Shanxi Health Commission signed a cooperation agreement with Hong Kong-based GX Foundation to perform 6,000 to 7,000 cataract surgeries in Djibouti in the next three to five years.

"The medical team must carry out preparatory work such as case screening," said Wu Jin, director of Shanxi Health Commission.

He stressed that team members must adapt to their new working environment as soon as possible, and combine traditional medical aid with foreign aid innovation projects, as well as cooperate with counterpart hospitals.

Shanxi has dispatched 61 medical aid teams consisting of 1,309 medics overseas since 1975, with 259 members having received honors from the recipient countries due to their contribution to local medicine. 

Early in December, Shanxi's 20th medical aid team composed of 12 members received the Independence Day Medal from Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, prime minister of Djibouti. It is the first time the province's medical team has won the country's highest honor since Shanxi dispatched medical aid teams to Djibouti in 1981.