Tanzania's Zanzibari doctors achieve 1st laparoscopic surgery with Chinese assistance

ZANZIBAR, Tanzania, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The 33rd batch of the Chinese medical team has successfully trained local doctors in Tanzania's Zanzibar to independently perform the first laparoscopic surgery, the team leader said on Tuesday.

Jiang Guoqing, the leader of the medical team with extensive experience in laparoscopic surgeries, said that since June 2022, the Chinese medical team in Zanzibar has decided to strengthen the training of local surgeons in laparoscopic surgery techniques.

"After training, the local doctors performed this kind of surgery completely and independently," Jiang said.

Rashid Masoud Said, one of the doctors who have completed the laparoscopic surgery, said he was grateful to the Chinese medical team for their guidance.

Zanzibar's Minister for Health Nassor Ahmed Mazrui thanked the Chinese medical team, saying that it has not only performed countless surgeries but has also helped widen the professional knowledge of the local doctors. "The Chinese medical team has always adhered to the saying 'teach a man how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.'"

The 33rd batch of the Chinese medical team, comprising 22 members, arrived in Zanzibar in September last year.