Beijing Municipal Health Bureau sends 2nd batch of medical aid teams to Vila Central Hospital in Vanuatu in 2023

Project narrative

On September 6, 2023, the second Chinese medical team dispatched by the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau was welcomed to Vanuatu. They participated in a handover ceremony with the first medical team sent by the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau, who had served in Vanuatu for a year. The nine-member team was dispatched from Beijing Tongren Hospital and covers specialties including general surgery, cardiovascular, respiratory, oral, and traditional Chinese medicine. At the Vila Central Hospital, the team performed daily diagnoses and treatments, while outside the hospital they conducted free clinics (with physical and oral examinations and disease consultations), traditional Chinese medicine treatments, research, and contributed to health education. On October 30, 2023, the medical team successfully performed the first minimally invasive surgery in Vanuatu on a patient with urethral obstruction. The surgery was accomplished using an electronic cystic pelvic endoscope donated by China. During their time in Vanuatu, the team treated 6,657 patients, performed 103 surgeries and operations, conducted 267 training and teaching activities, and taught almost 20 techniques including closed chest drainage, electronic cystoscopic minimally invasive surgery, visual laryngeal mask anesthesia, and traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture.