Ghana is expecting to strengthen AI-assisted healthcare collaboration with China to enhance the wellbeing of its people as the two countries keep promoting exchange and cooperation in the medical field.
The AI-assisted healthcare cooperation was built on the two countries' years of healthcare exchanges and communication, during which batches of Chinese medical workers had been sent to the African country to help enhance its independent medical capability.
"Our main goal is to help Ghanaian medical workers make progress through years of cooperation with us by introducing new ideas, providing technical guidance, and offering regular training. Our mission is to build a medical team that continues to serve even after we leave," said Yang Yongguang, leader of the 14th Chinese Medical Team to Ghana.
Yang's team successfully carried out surgeries to save two Ghanaian orphans from umbilical hernia at the China-Ghana Friendship Hospital, popularly known as Lekma Hospital, in Accra.
The milestone achievement stood as an exceptional example of the increasing medical cooperation between the two countries, which a top Ghanaian health official said will be further enhanced by focusing on high-tech fields such as AI.
"We've identified that using technology, you can bridge some of these gaps. And one of the areas of identify (identification) has to do with introducing AI into our health service system for screening, for diagnostics, for treatment, among many other things. And we are looking forward to collaborating with China, with the companies, with the AI companies to see how best together we would advance," said Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, director-general of the Ghana Health Service.
AI has emerged as one of the most important fields of medical cooperation between China and Ghana. In Aug 20, the second edition of the China-West Africa Medical and Health Industry Expo opened in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, to promote the use of AI in medical diagnosis and deepen project cooperation between China and West African countries.
The three-day event, co-organized by the Health Community of West Africa (HCOWA), a Ghana-based Chinese firm, and the Ghana Health Service, brought together government officials, health professionals, regulators, and more than 100 exhibitors from China and West African countries.
Ghana expects to strengthen AI-assisted healthcare collaboration with China
Heavy rainfall has flooded thousands of makeshift tents sheltering displaced Palestinians across Gaza, compounding the suffering of families struggling to protect their belongings and cope with the season's first major storm.
The deluge laid bare the extreme vulnerability of temporary shelters and shattered infrastructure in Gaza following years of conflict. For displaced communities facing the arrival of winter, the downpour has sparked an additional struggle for survival, soaking mattresses, clothing, and scarce food supplies.
In a displacement camp, Samar Farhat spent hours desperately trying to clear water from her tent.
"We are suffering from the heavy rain. My tent has been flooded. Our clothes, mattresses and food are all soaked. Even my husband, who is sick and bedridden, was surrounded by water from every direction," said Farhat.
Nearby, Ammar Musbeh fought through the night to keep his family safe as floodwaters rose around them. Using basic tools, residents across the territory rushed to dig trenches and build makeshift barriers to block incoming water.
"We were flooded overnight. I spent ten hours carrying my children to keep them safe. Water kept pouring into our tent throughout the night, rising to more than a meter. I spent the night trying to drain it out. As you can see, the tent has collapsed and is no longer fit to live in," said Musbeh.
Gaza's Civil Defense reported receiving more than 1,500 emergency calls following the floods. However, severe shortages of fuel, vehicles, and heavy equipment have severely hamstrung rescue and relief operations.
Yahya Al-Sarraj, mayor of Gaza City, noted that current makeshift structures are entirely unsuited for harsh weather.
"The tents are not suitable for winter or summer and we call for replacing them with mobile homes and proper housing units. This is not allowed until this moment by the Israeli occupation. The municipalities of Gaza are lacking the equipment, the tools. We don't have the heavy machines that are necessary for these conditions," said the mayor.
According to the United Nations, Gaza urgently requires 121,000 tents, 561,000 tarpaulins, and 1.7 million mattresses ahead of the winter months. With only about 2,800 tents available inside the territory as of early November, aid agencies face a catastrophic shortage in essential shelter and supplies.
Floods inundate tents in Gaza as major storm hits displaced families
