–Guyanese Ambassador says

By Trina Williams in Xuzhou, China

AS Guyana continues to work towards delivering world-class healthcare, one cannot ignore how China’s continuous support, through medical cooperation, is helping the country foster sustainable development, Guyana’s Ambassador to China, Anyin Choo highlighted.
During a recent visit and exchange at the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, the Ambassador reflected on China and Guyana’s long-standing friendship that has produced success in various sectors, not just in the medical field.

With over 30 years of cooperation in the health sector, the ambassador did not hesitate to express appreciation on behalf of the Guyanese government and its people.
“You have sent your best doctors to Guyana, who have worked side-by-side with our local doctors and nurses,” she said, adding that despite the challenges posed such as the language barriers, among other obstacles, the Chinese medical professionals did not allow this to stagnate progress.
“You have made lots of miracles, and you have saved lots of lives during your tenure in Guyana,” she boldly said.

Notably, the ambassador shed light on Jiangsu’s medical team being instrumental in working with Guyana’s local medical professionals, while creating long-lasting friendships, and even acting as a bridge of cultural exchanges.
Additionally, although Guyana is geographically very far away from China, the ambassador said that the bilateral, friendly relations between the two nations have stood the test of time.
“And even though we are so far away, my presence here today, and also the presence of three medical brigade teams from Xuzhou is a testimony that it is possible, even with distance,” she noted.

Additionally, owing to the remarkable achievements made by the Jiangsu Medical Team in Guyana, Vice-Principal of Xuzhou Medical University, Lv Ling underscored how medical services are being improved, how the development of bilateral relations are being promoted, and how the friendship between the two countries is being deepened.
He said: “The remarkable achievements made by our hospital in the medical field, cooperation with your country, the in-depth discussion on medical technology and public health policies, etc., all bear witness to the deep friendship and mutual trust between the people of China and Guyana.

“We are well aware that medical assistance is not only a technical cooperation, but also a bridge between the hearts of the two peoples. The work of our medical team in Guyana not only provides high-quality medical services to the local people, but also promotes mutual understanding and respect between China and Guyana in the medical field.”
In July 1993, according to the Memorandum of Cooperation signed between the governments of China and Guyana, Jiangsu Province was designated to undertake the task of sending medical teams to Guyana.

So far, Jiangsu Province has sent 20 batches of medical teams, with 295 person-times to Guyana to carry out medical work.
The current medical team is the 20th medical team to Guyana organised by Nantong City, with a total of eleven members working at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), and five at the Linden Hospital Complex.
Notably, last year, it was published that because of Guyana and China’s relationship in the health sector, this resulted in bountiful success, with thousands of surgeries conducted locally in partnership with Chinese medical teams.
Further, it was said that Guyana was able to conduct its first-ever open-heart surgery, and its first-of-its-kind minimally invasive laparoscopic surgeries among other unique procedures.