Stories of Hubei Doctors in Africa

Edited by Ma Yalun & Ning Fang

“I’m from the East and have come to fulfill my dream: to heal the wounded and save the dying, and to pursue and glorify the benevolent spirit of the doctor.” This is copied from the diary of a Hubei doctor who has worked in Africa.

In April of 1963, China sent its first medical team of 24 people to Africa at the request of the Algerian government and under the deployment of Premier Zhou Enlai. This team mainly consisted of medical practitioners from Hubei Province and was dispatched to Algeria to help this newly independent North African country. This was the beginning of the history of China’s foreign aid medical care.

Over the past 56 years, the Hubei Foreign Aid Medical Team has carried out extensive medical services in recipient countries and left their footprints all over the land. From resident hospitals to pastoral areas in the desert, they have created countless stories of friendship between Chinese and African people.

Expedition to North Africa by the “Hubei-made” Foreign Aid Medical Team

“I Don’t know when I can come back… If it’s a boy, call him Bin; if a girl, call her Wen...” After 56 years, Xu Xianze still remembered these words he said to his pregnant wife when he was dispatched overseas as part of the first medical team. At the time of departure, he said these words to his wife, bid goodbye to his family, and left in a hurry with a bag full of notes. Now, Xu Xianze is 83 years old and retired from Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

When the medical team first arrived at Sa?da Provincial Hospital of Algeria, they admitted a female patient with a lump in her abdomen. After a laparotomy, she was diagnosed with spleen cysticercosis and was treated with surgery. It is understood that this disease is quite common in the grassland area. Pharmacist Lyu Xuexiu successfully created a test reagent in a short period of time, and used it for diagnosing and treating would-be patients.

“My surgery was done by a Chinese doctor!” A patient with gastric ulcer pyloric obstruction proudly announced after he was discharged from Sa?da Hospital. This patient had a subtotal gastrectomy and recovered very well.

At Sa?da Hospital, the Chinese medical team treated a large number of patients with common and frequently-occurring diseases, as well as epidemics. Moreover, they helped with expanding the hospital’s medical services to various aspects, and gradually filled in the blanks of major surgeries and difficult treatments. Fame quickly spread throughout Algeria, and Chinese doctors became the “most popular people” in local areas. The footprints of patrolling doctors from the Hubei medical team kept extending on the vast grasslands of North Africa.

Sa?da Province is on the edge of the world-famous Sahara Desert. All the twenty-four members of the medical team traveled back and forth across the vast pastoral areas, undertaking all the inpatient and outpatient treatments in this provincial hospital with 280 beds. After eight months’ work, they were called “the most reliable people” by local government and people. Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture therapy were known as the “Chinese magic needle treatment.” In December of the same year, Premier Zhou Enlai and Vice Premier Chen Yi cordially met with the team. After hearing their stories, Premier Zhou was delighted and said: “Keep up with your hard work, treat the health of Algerian people as the health of Chinese people.” “Carry forward the spirit of Henry Norman Bethune.”

“It’s been 56 years, and I can still hear Premier Zhou’s voice in my mind.” Xu Xianze was full of emotions while recalling his story.

Miracles Across National Borders

By working closely with local medical staff in Algeria and Lesotho, Chinese medical teams saved countless people and created countless medical miracles with their sincerity and superb medical skills.

In Algeria, the medical team of Relizane Province fought for 11 hours in a strenuous surgery for a printing worker whose right hand was cut off from the wrist by a paper cutter. The hand was miraculously restored and the patient regained the ability to work and live as usual, which was a precedent of replantation in the country. The Médéa provincial medical team successfully performed a leg replantation operation for a 67-year-old farmer, and used acupuncture anesthesia to remove a huge ovarian cyst for an elderly woman in her 60s. The Guelma medical team removed a meningocele that was twice as large as the head for a 4-day-old newborn. The Mascara team performed a total nasal reconstruction operation on a little girl who had her nose bitten off by a donkey.

In Lesotho, the medical team had to face harsh natural environment and the risk of AIDS, yet they still carried out their medical activities with enthusiasm and devotion. Among all the difficult operations they took on, there were hip replacement surgeries, congenital clubfoot corrections, and aorta dissection vascular anastomosis.

When natural disasters occurred in the recipient country, the medical teams always tried their hardest to fight for patients. In 1980, a strong earthquake happened in El Asnam (now known as Chlef) of Algeria. The medical team worked around the clock, collecting 670,000 milliliters of blood and saving 620 wounded people from danger. In 1982, a cholera epidemic broke out in Algeria. the medical team went deep into the affected area, treated more than 800 patients and stemmed the spread of the disease. In 1989, a collective food poisoning incident occurred in A?n Defla Province, the medical team there quickly acted and rescued all of the patients—more than 250 in number. In May of 2003, a strong earthquake took place near Algiers, the capital, and the local medical team actively participated in the rescuing work.

Chinese and local doctors are close as family in Tiaret.蒂亞雷醫療隊與當地醫生親如一家

The medical teams applied Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture in their work and created many “TCM miracles” by combining Chinese with Western medicine. In Algeria, a female patient fell into a coma due to a car accident. Her family drove 150 kilometers and took her to the Chinese medical team in Médéa. The medical staff selected the acupuncture points properly and applied their needles skillfully. Magically, her pulse started to build again. And her tendons began to tremble rhythmically. Three days later, the woman awoke; one month later, she recovered and was discharged from the hospital.

In the process of saving patients, many medical team members have donated their blood and skin. Some dedicated their lives to this land. Three team members now rest on the land forever due to diseases caused by constant and intense overwork and were buried in the National Cemetery of Algeria.

Many of the medical staff joined the team and came to Africa more than once because of their love for their African friends. Tu Dachun, an orthopedic doctor, participated on the medical team four times over 20 years; Xu Changzhen, an obstetrician, came to Africa four times and delivered more than 40,000 newborns in 8 years. And then there is Cao Rong, who’s racing with lives; Tan Qiong, who was close to HIV infections on at least two occasions; Cheng Li, who was called “Angel Doctor” by Algerians; and Shen Ali whose family members came to Africa for three generations, successively.

The 25th medical team to Algeria from Hubei 湖北省第25批援阿爾及利亞醫療隊

The medical teams gave their best interpretation of the spirit of “Medical Benevolence” by their work across national borders. They had established a good image for “Chinese doctors” and the “Hubei medical field”—and also showed their love for the world.

Teach a Man to Fish, the New Era of Foreign Aid Medical Care

Over the past 56 years, Hubei Province has dispatched a total of 3,445 medical personnel (mainly practitioners from the department of obstetrics, gynecology, anesthesiology, acupuncture, and surgery), who treated 23.91 million outpatients and 2.32 million inpatients and performed 1.688 million operations of all kinds. At present, the 25th medical team in Algeria consists of 76 doctors, and the 13th medical team of 9 doctors is working in Lesotho.

With the development of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the promotion of the “Community of Human Destiny” concept, China’s foreign aid medical care has gradually shifted from simply exporting personnel and technology to cultivating local capabilities in medical skills and the modern healthcare industry for the recipient countries, so as to leave a local team behind which never leaves the country.

In recent years, to answer the request of Algerian government, the Hubei medical team has undertaken part of the teaching tasks in the affiliated nursing school of Médéa Provincial Hospital. Since Chinese acupuncture is widely welcomed in Algeria, the medical team has held many acupuncture training classes and taught traditional Chinese acupuncture techniques. They have also adopted multiple learning forms such as assistant programs and small classrooms to help improve the medical skills of Algerian staff. The academic reports and surgical performances such as “limb replantation” and “clinical observation of acupuncture-based numbness” were especially well received by their Algerian counterparts. According to certain statistics, the aiding medical team has trained more than 3,000 medical personnel at all levels, most of which have the ability to treat common diseases as well as independently perform surgeries. They have become the pillars of local medical institutions.

In 2014, after consultations with the Algerian Ministry of Health and the Chinese Embassy in Algeria, Hubei Province of China and Algeria agreed to conduct cooperation between Tongji Hospital, which is affiliated with the Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the Mustafa Hospital of Algeria. The principle of this cooperation is mutual benefit and complementary advantages, the main focus is gynecology and obstetrics, and the goal is to train personnel and conduct clinical research. The two sides agreed to establish a Traditional Chinese Medicine Center in Ben Acron Hospital in accordance with laws and regulations of both the countries and the hospital’s situations, so as to promote TCM practice and technology.

In November of 2017, China and Algeria signed an agreement to establish a cooperative hospital as well as a center of gynecology, obstetrics, and TCM. In November of 2018, in the presence of Hubei Provincial Health Committee and corresponding Algerian government departments, Tongji Hospital and the Hubei Provincial Hospital of TCM signed with their Algerian counterparts respectively two memorandums for cooperation, namely China-Algeria Maternity Center and China-Algeria TCM Center, which officially heralded the substantive cooperation between the two parties. “我來自世界的東方，為了一個美好的夢想；救死扶傷是我的責任與擔當，醫者仁心是我們的追求與榮光?！边@是一位援非醫生日記中的話語。

湖北天使的“非洲傳奇”

編輯/馬亞倫 寧 芳

Yin Xianqin, an obstetrician and gynecologist, delivering a newborn baby with local doctors in Motebang Hospital, Lesotho 婦產科醫生印賢琴帶領萊索托莫特邦醫院年輕醫生，共同迎接新生命

1963年4月，應阿爾及利亞政府請求，在周恩來總理親自部署下，中國派出第一支以湖北醫務人員為骨干的24人醫療隊遠赴非洲，幫助這個剛剛獨立的北非之國，由此掀開了中國援外醫療的歷史篇章。

56年來，湖北援外醫療隊在受援國廣泛開展醫療服務，從駐地醫院到沙漠牧區，都留下了他們的足跡和中非人民友誼長存的佳話。

“湖北造”援外醫療隊遠征北非

“什么時候回來還不知道，你要是生個男孩就叫彬，生個女孩就叫紋……”今年83歲的湖北省中醫院退休醫生徐賢澤，清晰地記得56年前隨同首支援外醫療隊出發時的情景，他給懷孕妻子留下這句話，并告別家人，拎起裝好一摞摞筆記的挎包，匆忙離去。

在2018年天貓618節，各種品牌商家聯合天貓官方微博，推出了618“天選之子”活動，并于6月12日6時18分進行抽獎，且在6月18日送達包裹，相應的獲獎禮品也相當誘人，最終的展現形式為618個天貓包裹的寄出。此次活動最終以微博評論30多萬，轉發48.4萬收尾，比之前的海爾增加了一倍多。

初到阿國賽義達省醫院，醫療隊收治了一位腹部有腫塊的女患者，經剖腹探查，確診為脾臟包囊蟲病，并對其進行了手術治療。據了解，這種病在草原屬多發疾病，藥劑師呂學修短期內試制出檢查試劑，成功為其后患者確診治療。

“我的手術是中國醫生給我做的！”一位患胃潰瘍幽門梗阻的病人，在賽義達醫院做完胃大部切除手術康復出院后，驕傲地向身邊人夸耀。

中國醫療隊在賽義達醫院，不僅收治了大量常見病、多發病和流行病患者，從多方面大大拓寬了醫院的醫療范圍，還陸續填補了大型外科手術和疑難重癥治療的空白，醫院的名聲很快傳遍了阿爾及利亞各地，中國醫生成為當地“最受歡迎的人”，湖北醫療隊巡醫的足跡從此不斷向廣袤的北非草原延伸。

Doctors from the Hubei Foreign Aid Medical Team gladly chatting with the locals in their households 援阿醫療隊員受邀到群眾家作客

賽義達省處在世界聞名的撒哈拉沙漠邊上，24名隊員在廣大牧區巡回醫療，幾乎承擔了擁有280張病床的省醫院所有住院、門診治療任務。工作8個多月后，他們被該國政府與廣大人民稱為“最可信任的人”。中國中醫藥、針灸療法被譽為中國神針“利白拉”（阿拉伯語，打針）。同年12月，周恩來總理和陳毅副總理親切接見大家，并聽取了醫療隊的匯報。聽到這些故事后，周總理非常高興，當即指示：“你們要更好地工作，把阿爾及利亞人民的健康當作中國人民的健康一樣對待。”“你們要學習發揚白求恩精神?！?/p>

“時光一晃56年，周總理的聲音一直回蕩銘刻在我心中?！?徐賢澤講述這段歷史時感慨萬千。

接力演繹跨越國界的“生命奇跡”

中國醫療隊隊員與阿爾及利亞、萊索托醫務人員密切合作，用真摯的情誼和高超的醫術，拯救了難以計數的百姓，創下了一個個醫學奇跡。

某印刷工人的右手被切紙刀從腕關節切斷，阿爾及利亞赫力贊省醫療分隊經過11個小時的緊張手術，奇跡般地接活了這只手，使病人重新獲得了勞動和生活的能力，開創了阿國斷手再植的先河；梅迪亞省醫療分隊成功地為一位67歲的老農做了斷腿再植手術，還利用針刺麻醉為一位60多歲的老年農婦摘除了巨大的卵巢囊腫；蓋爾瑪醫療分隊為出生僅4天的新生兒切除了比頭大一倍的腦脊膜膨出；馬斯卡拉分隊為一個被驢咬掉鼻子的小女孩實施了全鼻再造手術……在萊索托，醫療隊員面對惡劣的自然環境的威脅和感染艾滋病的風險，以飽滿的工作熱情積極開展醫療活動，完成了髖關節置換術、先天性馬蹄內翻足矯正術、肱主動脈離斷血管吻合術等難度較大的手術。

Algerian doctors having acupuncture training under the guidance of doctors from the Hubei Foreign Aid Medical Team 援阿醫療隊培訓當地針灸醫生，學員相互扎針

當受援國自然災害發生時，醫療隊員奮不顧身、竭盡全力搶救病人。1980年，阿爾及利亞阿斯南地區發生強烈地震，醫療隊夜以繼日，采血67萬毫升，幫助620余名傷者脫離危險；1982年，阿爾及利亞霍亂流行，醫療隊深入疫區，救治患者800多人，迅速控制疫情蔓延；1989年，阿國艾因賽夫拉省發生集體食物中毒事件，駐該省醫療分隊迅速施救，250余名病人全部獲救；2003年5月，阿首都阿爾及爾附近發生強烈地震，醫療隊員積極參加救援工作。

醫療隊員充分發揮中醫中藥和針灸的作用，經常運用中西醫結合方法上演“中醫神跡”。阿國一位女病人遭遇車禍處于彌留狀態，家屬驅車150公里將她抬到中國醫療隊梅迪亞分隊駐地。醫療隊員謹慎選穴，熟練進針，昏死中的婦女脈搏居然神奇般地循行起來，相關部位的肌腱也開始有節奏地抖顫。3天后，婦女蘇醒了；1個月后，她康復出院。

為了挽救病人的生命，很多隊員獻血、獻皮，有的甚至獻出了寶貴的生命。阿爾及利亞國家公墓安葬著3名中國醫療隊員，他們因緊張而繁重的工作積勞成疾，長眠在這塊土地上。

許多隊員因割舍不下對非洲朋友的感情，多次援非。骨科大夫涂大椿，20年間4次參加援阿醫療隊；婦產科醫生徐長珍4次援非，累計8年時間里成功接生了4萬多名胎兒。與生命賽跑的曹蓉、兩次與艾滋病感染擦肩而過的譚瓊、被阿爾及利亞人稱為“天使醫生”的程麗、三代援非的沈阿利家庭……他們對“醫者仁心”作出了跨越國界的注解，樹立起了“中國醫生”和“湖北衛生”的良好形象，向世界展示了湖北人懸壺濟世的博愛情懷！

Ye Xiuying, a Hubei TCM doctor, is conducting auricular treatment for an Algerian patient. 援阿醫生葉秀英為當地患者進行耳穴治療

授之以漁，援外醫療邁進新時代

56年來，中國湖北省累計派出援外醫療隊員3445人（主要來自婦產科、麻醉科、針灸科、外科等科室），共收治門診病人2391萬人次，住院病人232萬人次，開展各類手術168.8萬例。目前，第25批援阿爾及利亞醫療隊76人，第13批援萊索托醫療隊9人正在非洲執行任務。

伴隨中國“一帶一路”倡議的建設步伐和“人類命運共同體”外交思想發展，中國援外醫療逐漸由單純輸出人員、技術，轉向培育受援國醫療衛生服務能力，為各國“留下一支支永不離開的醫療隊”。

近年來，根據阿爾及利亞政府的要求，中國湖北省醫療隊承擔了梅迪亞省醫院附屬護士學校的部分教學任務。中國針灸在阿爾及利亞受到普遍歡迎，醫療隊多次舉辦針灸培訓班，毫無保留地傳授中國傳統針灸技術。他們還采取傳幫帶和小課堂等形式，幫助提高阿方醫務人員技術水平，尤其是“斷肢再植”“針刺麻木臨床觀察”等學術報告和手術表演，深受阿方同行歡迎。據不完全統計，援阿醫療隊已培訓各級醫技人員3000余名。經過培訓的醫技人員大多具備了治療常見病、疑難病和獨立手術的能力，成為各地醫療機構的技術骨干。

2014年，經與阿爾及利亞衛生部和中國駐阿大使館經商處商議，中國湖北省和阿方分別確定華中科技大學同濟醫學院附屬同濟醫院與阿爾及利亞穆斯塔法醫院，按照互利共贏、優勢互補的原則，以婦產科為突破，在人才培養和臨床研究等方面開展對口合作；議定在本·阿克隆醫院建立中國中醫中心，根據兩國法律法規和醫院實際，循序漸進地開展中醫實用技術的推廣使用。

2017年11月，中國與阿爾及利亞簽署了建立對口合作醫院及婦產、中醫中心協議。2018年11月，在湖北省衛生健康委員會與阿爾及利亞政府部門見證下，同濟醫院、湖北省中醫院分別與對口醫院簽署了“中阿婦產中心”“中阿中醫中心”合作備忘錄，正式啟動雙方的實質性合作。（原載《湖北日報》）

Note:

Henry Norman Bethune（1890-1939）, a Canadian physician, medical innovator, and noted communist. Dr. Bethune effectively brought modern medicine to rural China and often treated sick villagers as much as wounded soldiers. His selfless commitment made a profound impression on the Chinese people, especially CPC’s leader, Mao Zedong. Mao Zedong wrote a eulogy to him, which was memorized by generations of Chinese people.