Chinese Government dispatches 33rd medical team to Equatorial Guinea in 2023

Project narrative

On December 4, 2023, China's 33rd medical team arrived in Bata to begin an 18-month foreign aid medical mission in Equatorial Guinea, ending in August 2025. The 33rd team consisted of 25 members—including doctors, translators, and chefs—drawn from 12 hospitals across Shenzhen. This is the first time Shenzhen has independently formed a foreign aid medical team. Team members were stationed at the Malabo Regional Hospital (12), Bata Regional Hospital (9), and four other locations. All doctors are attending-level or higher, with 75% serving as chief physicians, deputy chiefs, or chief caregivers. The team brought medical supplies and consumables worth millions of yuan. Since arrival, the team has completed at least 69 cataract surgeries; introduced laparoscopic surgery, acupuncture, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to local hospitals; trained local doctors in laparoscopic surgical techniques; launched regular screening and treatment services in internal medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, surgery, and ophthalmology; and performed the first large-scale surgeries at the China–Equatorial Guinea Friendship Hospital in Niefang City, where they now conduct bimonthly medical rounds. Despite limited resources and difficult transport conditions, the team has expanded healthcare access in under-served areas. On January 22–23, 2025, Chinese Ambassador Wang Wengang visited the team in Bata to express support. Since 1971, Guangdong Province has been sending medical teams to Equatorial Guinea, totaling over 600 medical personnel.