People's Liberation Army provides free medical services in Vientiane and aid to flood victims in the Sanamxay district of Attapeu Province (Linked to Project ID#64527, #64528, #66047, #66050, #65920, #88680, #88692, #88706, and #88707)

On July 22, 2018, a 100-person medical team from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) arrived in Laos to conduct a joint humanitarian medical exercise training exercise, "Peace Train-2018" Humanitarian Medical Rescue Joint Training Mission, with the Lao People's Armed Forces from July 24 to July 31, 2018 in Vientiane. Then, on July 23, 2018, the saddle dam of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydroelectric plant burst, causing a flood for the 13 villages of the Sanamxay district in the Attapeu Province along the Xe Pian River. Six villages were almost submerged, and 13,000 villagers were impacted, with 42 people dead and 23 missing. As a result, Laos' Ministry of National Defense requested that the PLA medical team provide assistance, which was approved by China's Central Military Commission. As a result, the PLA sent a 32-person medical team to the disaster area. The PLA medical team was the only foreign military service invited to participate in emergency response efforts, as well as the first foreign medical team at the site of the disaster. Of the entire 100-member PLA medical team, most of its members were drawn from Chengdu Military General Hospital, but it also included experts from PLA National Defence University, the Academy of Military Science of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Air Force Medical University, and People’s Liberation Army’s Institute for Disease Control and Prevention. Members of the team included experts in epidemic prevention and pathogen surveillance. The PLA medical team that worked in the Sanamxay district included medics specialized in epidemic prevention, pest control, and food and water hygiene. The medical team was equipped with three medical tents, high-mobility emergency vehicles and disease control and prevention vehicles, portable computers, electrocardiograms, and medicine. Laos arranged to have the medical team be deployed at the Sanamxay district hospital to provide aid to Laotian medical personnel and to carry out treatment, while also having members go into the disaster area to carry out epidemic prevention activities. The medical team worked, among other places, at a makeshift shelter inside the Sanamxay District Middle School, in Mitsamphan village, and Ban Boc village. During their work, the medical team checked drinking water, hygiene, and the cleanliness of portable toilets, while also mitigating epidemic disease through disinfection and killing mosquitos and other insects. The medical team conducted check-ups with ultrasound and electrocardiographic machines on villagers affected by the disaster and provided guidance on proper waste disposal and personal hygiene to villagers. The medical team also submitted a proposal on disease prevention to the Government of Laos and the Lao People's Armed Forces. The 32-member medical arrived in the Attapeu Province on July 25, 2018. The team spent 10 days in the disaster area and served around 5,000 people during their time. The remainder of the PLA medical team conducted free consultations, operations, and lectures at the Laos 103 Military Hospital in Vientiane between August 3 and August 6, seeing 815 patients, providing 829 prescriptions, consultation on 24 cases at the hospital, guiding eight operations, and organizing eight academic lectures. The entire medical team departed on August 8, 2018. The Chinese Government and Chinese state-owned enterprises provided aid in response to this disaster. The Chinese Government donated relief supplies (see linked project ID#64527), the Laos-China Railway Company (LCRC) provided aid to build four bridges to provide access to the flooded villages (see linked project ID#64528), LCRC donated cash and supplies worth ₭800 million LAK (see linked project ID#88706), China Southern Power Grid donates ₭1.2 billion LAK to aid home reconstruction for flood victims (see linked project ID#66047), PowerChina donated cash and materials worth ₭1.625 billion LAK (see linked project ID#66050), PowerChina sent experts to provide technical assistance to the Government of Laos (see linked project ID#88707), China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) donated relief supplies (see linked project ID#88680), Lao Asia Pacific Satellite Co., Ltd. (LAOSAT) donated a batch of satellite televisions to flood victims (see linked project ID#88692), and LAOSAT sent a team to provide live satellite television and emergency communication services in the flood zone (see linked project ID#65920).

Number of official sources

2

Number of total sources

24