The 12th Chinese medical team to Malawi has offered services to patients and trainings to local healthcare workers, as part of China's efforts to help the African country strengthen its health system.
As of this month, the 18-member team has treated a total of 19,146 patients, performed more than 750 surgeries, rescued more than 350 critically ill patients, and trained more than 210 local medical personnel.
One of the team members is Zhao Pengliang, who is an attending physician of general surgery at Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital in Xi'an City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
After embarking on his journey to aid Africa on July 14, 2025, Zhao have treated 1,090 patients and performed more than 610 surgeries.
He performed surgical procedures for a newborn with giant sacrococcygeal teratoma and a premature, low-birth-weight infant with cloacal exstrophy, both of which mark the first of its kind in Malawi.
"The patient who received the surgical repair of the cloacal exstrophy is a three-day-old baby girl, a case extremely rare in Malawi. The surgery required simultaneous reconstruction of the urinary, reproductive, and digestive systems. Our team worked continuously for five hours and ultimately completed the highly complex procedure with common surgical tools, despite a lack of specialized instruments. When the infant urinated normally for the first time after surgery, the entire neonatal ward erupted in cheers," said Zhao.
In addition to conducting complex medical procedures, the Chinese medical team, mainly based at the Mzuzu Central Hospital and Kamuzu Central Hospital, provide other assistance.
They have created their own negative pressure drainage devices to treat critically ill patients, developed treatment plans for those with challenging medical conditions through remote consultations, and conducted over 200 clinical teaching sessions and 35 specialized training sessions.
They have also trained 12 local doctors, and introduced four techniques, including the standardization of pediatric imaging, to Malawi.
"The achievements brought by the two countries help build a community with a shared future for the mankind.," said Dr. Blessed Kondowe, deputy director of radiology and spokesperson for Mzuzu Central Hospital.
Chinese medical team aids Malawi's healthcare services
