Salute to this special group of "angels in white", the 6th Chinese Doctor's Day Aid to Foreign Countries | Algeria | Doctor's Day

August 19th this year is the sixth Chinese Physician's Day and also the World Humanitarian Day established by the United Nations since 2008. Among the vast number of medical workers, there is a special group of Chinese medical workers who are not only angels in white to save lives and heal the wounded, but also friendly ambassadors to convey friendship. This is the Chinese aid to foreign medical workers.

Medical aid to foreign countries is a vivid manifestation of the Chinese people's love for peace and cherish life. Shanghai is one of the earliest cities in China to participate in foreign medical aid work. For over 70 years, Shanghai's foreign aid medical staff have demonstrated the spirit of fearlessness, dedication, saving lives, and boundless love through their excellent skills and love. They have made important contributions to the international humanitarian cause and the construction of a human health community.

Organize medical aid for the Korean War

On June 25, 1950, the Korean War broke out. In October, the Volunteer Army officially participated in combat. On December 15th, the Shanghai medical community established the Shanghai Medical Workers Anti US Aid Korea Committee, responsible for organizing and managing Shanghai volunteer medical teams, surgical teams, and technical teams, providing medicinal materials, promoting and comforting, and opening the way for overseas medical assistance in Shanghai. According to statistics from the Shanghai Municipal Health Bureau, from January 1951 to June 1955, Shanghai sent a total of 9 batches and 19 professional teams, with a total of 757 members, including 366 physicians, accounting for 48.3%; 266 nurses, accounting for 35.1%; 96 personnel in medical technology, laboratory, X-ray, pharmaceuticals, and health and epidemic prevention, accounting for 12.68%; 29 administrative logistics personnel, accounting for 3.83%. They either went to the battlefield in person or were arranged to treat the wounded and sick in the three northeastern provinces closer to the battlefield. At the same time as saving lives and helping the injured, the Shanghai Seventh Brigade Medical Team stationed at the Second Army Hospital in Qiqihar also undertakes the task of establishing a military medical school based on the manpower and material resources of the Second Army Hospital of the People's Liberation Army of China. In the Korean War, the Shanghai medical team performed outstandingly, with 284 people making contributions, accounting for 37.5% of the total number of personnel dispatched.

Participated in China's first foreign aid medical team

In March 1962, Algeria and France signed the Evian Agreement, recognizing Algeria's right to self-determination and independence. Afterwards, treating the war-torn urban residents became one of the most important tasks for the Afghan government. Due to the withdrawal of French doctors, the domestic medical system in Algeria has been paralyzed. According to declassified files from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on May 20, 1962, the Chairman of the Algerian and Congolese Commission, Yusuf Sibai, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Zhou Enlai requesting emergency assistance to 300000 refugees in Algeria; On May 24th, the third secretary of the Algerian diplomatic mission, on behalf of the government and the Red Cross Society of Algeria, also sought help from the Chinese Red Cross Society, requesting drugs, clothing, food, medical teams, etc.

On April 6, 1963, under the specific instructions of then Premier Zhou Enlai, Minister of Foreign Affairs Chen Yi, and the coordination and organization of the former Ministry of Health, China sent 24 medical team members to Algeria for the first time to work in Algeria for 2 years - this was the first medical team sent by the Chinese government to support foreign countries. This medical team is mainly composed of medical and nursing forces from Hubei, while also absorbing medical technology backbone from Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Jilin, Hunan and other places. Four doctors, Qi Jiayi, Director of the Pediatric Department of Shanghai Xinhua Hospital, Lv Xuexiu from the Pharmacy Department of the First People's Hospital, Hu Zengji from the Pediatric Department of Ruijin Hospital, and Cao Jinkang from the College Student Department of the Second Medical Department, were selected to participate in the first medical team to Afghanistan.

Separate deployment of multiple external medical teams for support

In 1965, commissioned by the former Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China, Shanghai began to independently dispatch medical teams to aid foreign countries, and has successively established medical teams to aid Somalia, Algeria, Togo, and Cambodia. From May 1965 to October 1969, Shanghai dispatched two batches of 30 member medical teams to aid Somalia. Starting from February 1970, the medical team assisting Somalia was transferred to Jilin Province. In April 1972, Shanghai dispatched the first medical team to support Algeria, with a total of 46 personnel working in Zanadi and Guelma. Starting from May 1974, the medical team assisting Algeria was reorganized from Hubei Province.

According to the "Statistical Table of the Workload of Foreign Aid Medical Teams" compiled by the Foreign Affairs Department of the Shanghai Municipal Health Bureau in the collection of the Shanghai Archives on January 5, 1983, from April 1972 to August 1974, the first batch of medical team members alone provided outpatient services to 375056 local patients, treated 18363 hospitalized patients, performed surgeries on 3014 patients, and rescued 1354 critically ill patients.

In November 1974, Shanghai dispatched the first medical team to support Togo. In March 1983, according to the arrangement of the former Ministry of Health, the medical team assisting Togo was reorganized by the Department of Health of Shanxi Province. At this point, Shanghai has ended its medical aid dispatch mission to Togo, dispatching a total of 7 batches of 88 team members to work at two medical points in Lom é and Ramakara.

In September 1975, Shanghai dispatched the first medical team to support Cambodia. By January 1979, a total of three batches of 55 team members were dispatched. Among them, the first batch of 20 people served at 4.17 Hospital from September 1975 to October 1977. The second batch consisted of 21 people who worked at No. 16 Hospital from September 1977 to January 1979. The third batch of 14 people worked at the Women and Children's Hospital from May 1978 to January 1979. In July 1979, the medical team assisting Cambodia withdrew.

Shanghai Medical Team Continues Aid to Morocco for Nearly Half a Century

In September 1975, in accordance with the Protocol between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco on the Dispatch of Chinese Medical Teams to Work in Morocco, the First Support Moroccan Medical Team, established by the Shanghai Municipal Health Bureau, was commissioned by the former Ministry of Health to work at Hassan II Hospital in Sedat Province, Morocco. From then on, Shanghai began to undertake the task of dispatching medical teams to Morocco, which has continued until today.

According to statistics from the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, as of the end of 2022, Shanghai has dispatched 195 batches of medical teams to aid Morocco, with 1944 medical team members distributed in 8 locations throughout Morocco. From 1975 to 2022, the medical team assisting Morocco treated a total of 5.78 million Moroccan outpatient and emergency patients, admitted 800000 hospitalized patients, and completed nearly 530000 surgeries. At present, the 195th batch of Chinese medical teams assisting Morocco, consisting of 50 members, are serving in Morocco. They arrived in early December 2022 and will be carrying out a two-year health aid mission. All medical team members come from various units of the Shanghai health system.

After the outbreak of the COVID-19, the Chinese medical team sent by Shanghai to Morocco continued its daily treatment in the local area while, with domestic support, introducing China's domestic anti epidemic experience to the local area and donating urgently needed local anti epidemic materials. In the future, guided by the "Community of Human Health" and the "the Belt and Road" initiative, Shanghai will also use the medical team as a link to explore more cooperation with Morocco in medical care and other fields.

Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China, Shanghai has dispatched medical and surgical teams to fight against the United States and aid Korea, as well as medical teams to countries such as Somalia, Algeria, Togo, Cambodia, and Morocco. Some personnel have also participated in medical teams established in other provinces to travel to countries such as North Yemen, South Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, and Senegal. With superb technology and the spirit of boundless love, Shanghai medical staff provide medical treatment, impart technical experience, and gift advanced medical equipment to the battlefield or underdeveloped areas with extremely poor medical resources. They have made outstanding contributions to safeguarding the lives and health of local people, improving their quality of life, strengthening medical cooperation and exchange between China and the world, spreading traditional Chinese medical technology, improving China's international status, and promoting the construction of a human health community.

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