Bridging medicine and care: How China is strengthening international health partnerships

In a regional hospital in Benin's southwestern city of Lokossa, obstetrician Tu Jinzhi and her local team faced a high-stakes emergency: an HIV-positive pregnant woman carrying a fetus with a severe congenital skull malformation. With local prenatal screening and infection prevention systems constrained by limited resources, there were extreme risks of surgical complications and occupational exposure.

Through precise execution and strict protective protocols, Dr. Tu delivered the infant safely while keeping both mother and child stable. The complex rescue addressed a critical vulnerability in local maternal care – a single case that reflects a decades-long commitment. Twenty-eight Chinese medical teams totaling 662 personnel have served in Benin since 1978, all dispatched by northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, building a foundation of healthcare support in the West African country.

This operation in Lokossa reflects a broader trend in international medical aid – moving beyond emergency clinical interventions toward clinical mentorship, long-term capacity building and collaborative disease control.

On the frontlines of daily care

Beyond emergency care, Chinese medical teams are increasingly integrated into the daily operations of host hospitals. In Seychelles, a six-member team covering orthopedics, surgery, neurology, radiology and acupuncture arrived in July 2025 for a two-year mission.

"We work closely with local staff across departments, from routine orthopedic care to laparoscopic surgeries," team captain Dr. Du Daodong told China Media Group (CMG).

Rather than operating in isolation, team members work alongside local doctors to speed up emergency diagnosis. "During a night shift, a patient injured by ocean waves arrived in severe pain and looking pale," recalled team radiologist Dr. Yang Hongsheng. His recommendation for an urgent contrast-enhanced CT confirmed a ruptured spleen with active bleeding, buying precious minutes for life-saving surgery.

In neurology, Dr. Wang Kaixin optimized acute stroke protocols after treating a 56-year-old man with sudden paralysis. "After confirming thrombolysis indications, I immediately initiated intravenous therapy while monitoring his vitals at bedside," Dr. Wang said. The patient made a full recovery, walking out of the hospital independently.

This daily presence has fostered trust. One local patient, who had undergone a successful appendectomy by a previous Chinese surgeon, returned two years later seeking treatment for severe stomach pain. After diagnosing a peptic ulcer, a team surgeon adjusted his medication, resolving the condition without surgery. Meanwhile, in physical rehabilitation, local residents who were initially unfamiliar with acupuncture have increasingly sought out needle therapy for chronic pain and headaches.

Targeted health initiatives

Beyond hospital wards, systematic public health initiatives target widespread diseases like malaria and cataracts.

After eliminating domestic malaria cases – moving from 30 million annual cases in the 1940s to zero and earning World Health Organization (WHO) certification in 2021 – China has shared its artemisinin-based therapies worldwide. China's "1-3-7" surveillance strategy – referring to case reporting within one day, case investigation within three days, and focus investigation and public health actions within seven days – has been formally integrated into WHO technical guidelines. According to WHO estimates, around 240 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa have benefited from artemisinin-based combination therapies.

Concurrently, specialized surgical teams deploy abroad to tackle preventable blindness. Under the guidance of China's National Health Commission, expert teams regularly deploy to Central Asian nations, including Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, to perform free cataract surgeries for local residents.

"These eye care initiatives bring direct relief to the citizens who need it most," Kyrgyz Deputy Health Minister Nurbolot Usenbaev told CMG. "They reach citizens across many countries, restoring sight for people with vision impairment, including Kyrgyz citizens."

Knowledge sharing and system building

According to data from the National Health Commission, China has sent 31,000 medical personnel to 77 countries and regions over the past six decades, treating an estimated 300 million patients. Paired hospital initiatives have also helped establish 26 key clinical specialty centers across Africa.

This multi-layered engagement is supported by China's growing medical research and manufacturing capabilities. "One obvious part is China's manufacturing capacity and research, development and innovation for new medicines, vaccines and medical products," Martin Taylor, WHO representative to China, noted in an interview with CGTN.

"If you start with the principle of serving local populations, you can have very effective collaboration, irrespective of what's happening at the geopolitical level," he added.

To ensure long-term sustainability, Chinese teams prioritize knowledge transfer and system building. At Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Zimbabwe, Dr. Tan Jianlong, head of the 21st medical team, returned in 2025 to advance respiratory care capabilities.

"We assisted in building Zimbabwe's most advanced respiratory and critical care specialty, establishing a rescue center, skills training center, and telemedicine platform," Dr. Tan said. Through these platforms, over 180 local medical personnel were trained in a single year.

For local staff on the ground, the true value lies in practical, lasting progress. "With the help of Chinese experts, we are continuously improving our ICU management and working toward a full-fledged ICU," said Fambai Nash, nursing supervisor of the intensive care ward at the hospital. "We have trained the majority of our nursing staff, raising the standard of ventilator care and improving recovery expectations for respiratory patients."

(All photos via CMG)