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Overview

Chinese Government sends 1st medical team to Kiribati

Commitment Year•2021Country of Activity•KiribatiDirect Recipient Country of Incorporation•KiribatiSector•HealthFlow Type•Free-standing technical assistance

Status

Project lifecycle

Completion

Pipeline: PledgePipeline: CommitmentImplementationCompletion

Timeline

Key dates

Commitment date
May 30, 2021
Start (actual)
Jun 17, 2022
End (actual)
Jan 4, 2023

Geospatial footprint

Map overview

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The Chinese medical teams are stationed at Tungaru Central Hospital (TCH) in South Tarawa, the capital of Kiribati. TCH serves as the country's primary national referral hospital. More detailed locational information can be found at: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/223383917

Stakeholders

Organizations involved in projects and activities supported by financial and in-kind transfers from Chinese government and state-owned entities

Funding agencies

Government Agencies

  • National Health Commission of China

Receiving agencies

Government Agencies

  • Government of Kiribati

Miscellaneous Agency Types

  • Tungaru Central Hospital

Implementing agencies

Government Agencies

  • Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University
  • Shandong Provincial Government

Loan desecription

Chinese Government sends 1st medical team to Kiribati

Narrative

Full Description

Project narrative

On May 27, 2022, the first Chinese medical team to Kiribati arrived in Kiribati for a 6-month medical aid mission. The team is the smallest Chinese medical team to any foreign country, consisting of Zhang Yong, an anesthesiologist at the Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical College, Sun Bin, an emergency consultant doctor, and Ma Qiuhua, an Internal Medicine doctor. They began work at Tungaru Central Hospital in the country’s capital, Tarawa, on June 17th, 2022, three weeks after arriving. Their goal was to help Kiribati fight the epidemic and provide medical services for the Kiribati people. In 2021, the National Health Commission appointed the Shandong Provincial Health Commission to form the first medical team to assist Kiribati after the resumption of diplomatic relations between China and Kiribati. The Provincial Health Committee handed over the task of forming a foreign aid medical team to the Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical College. On May 30th, 2022, China released a Position Paper on Mutual Respect and Common Development with Pacific Island Countries, with one of their stated goals being to send medical teams to Kiribati. The medical mission lasted for six months and was completed on January 4th, 2023. The team was commended by the National Health Commission. A second medical team was dispatched in December 2022, and at least one person from the first team remained in Kiribati to assist (see Record ID#97268). A third medical team was dispatched in December 2023 (see Record ID#107522)