Chinese cutting-edge medical tech wows Ghanaian medical community

People from the health sector in Ghana said they were impressed by the latest Chinese medical technology on display during a three-day medical industry summit and exhibition.

The event, held in the Ghanaian capital of Accra from Monday to Wednesday, was organized by the Health Community of West Africa, a Ghana-based Chinese firm that seeks to support the capacity building of all health facilities in West Africa.

Participating Chinese manufacturers and distributors showcased laboratory equipment, dental, ophthalmic and acupuncture technology, ventilators and scanners. Other equipment on display were advanced oxygen concentrators, analyzers and generators, with experts on hand to demonstrate their workings to interested Ghanaians and West African medical personnel.

Zhongshan Tsingair Electric Technology Co., Ltd. from southern China displayed its latest technology in oxygen therapy, including different types of oxygen concentrators for use in small and large health facilities as well as some in-home care.

Wang Lixin, the company's overseas marketing manager, told Xinhua that the products are the culmination of research over a period to identify the needs for oxygen therapy, and their products are very efficient in bringing solutions to such patients.

"This is our first time to come to Ghana, and we've made some friends here. It is an honor to attend this summit. We expect future cooperation with local hospitals and local agents," Wang said.

"We will do our best with our professional equipment to support local healthcare in Ghana," he said, adding that the company expects to meet qualified agents to distribute their products in Ghana and West Africa.

Zetop, another Chinese company specializing in medical equipment supply, providing equipment to hospitals, clinics and other medical institutions, was also present.

Jiang Qian, Zetop's foreign trade manager, expressed excitement after meeting with a number of hospital representatives who visited the company's exhibition stand during the summit.

"I am glad to see that the Ghanaian market has many opportunities for cooperation between Ghanaian and Chinese companies and health institutions. We want to bring China-Africa medical cooperation into a bright future," Jiang said.

She said the 11-year-old company already has agents in Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya and Zimbabwe, and expects to expand into West Africa through Ghana.

"What is happening here is enlightening. China's medical technology has advanced. Considering the various items and medical equipment on display here, I think China has gone far," said Sandra Ashong, president of the Ghana Association of Medical Herbalists.

Ashong, also the head of the complementary and alternative medicine unit at LEKMA Hospital in the Ghanian capital, lauded the advanced medications and tools of traditional Chinese medicine on display at the exhibition.

"There are prospects for boosting the win-win medical cooperation between Ghana and China. Not just me, but members of my association who were here have learned a lot, and we hope that more of these technologies and skills will come into the country to improve health care," she added.

Margaret-Mary Bortsie, a biomedical engineer with the Ghana Health Service, said she was amazed at the advanced lifesaving healthcare delivery technologies that the Chinese companies have put on display at the event.

"The oxygen concentrators I saw here, for instance, are fully digital and portable, unlike the analog products we have in Ghana, and you can see everything on the screen and monitor all your parameters," Bortsie told Xinhua.

She urged the governments in West Africa to invest in equipping their healthcare institutions with such advanced technologies to make healthcare more efficient for citizens with better results.

"I hope we will have the opportunity in the future to visit some of these manufacturers in China to see firsthand what they do and adopt their technologies for the benefit of Ghana's health sector," she added.