A ceremony marking the arrival of the 17th Chinese medical team in the Comoros and the departure of the previous team was held on Monday in Moroni, the capital of the Comoros, highlighting ongoing bilateral health cooperation.

ANTANANARIVO, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony marking the arrival of the 17th Chinese medical team in the Comoros and the departure of the previous team was held on Monday in Moroni, the capital of the Comoros, highlighting ongoing bilateral health cooperation.

At the ceremony, Comorian Minister of Health and Social Protection Ahamadi Sidi Nahouda praised Chinese medical teams for their services. "Through your daily commitment, you have made significant contributions to strengthening our health system and improving access to healthcare," the minister said.

He said that the Chinese medical teams, as "privileged witnesses" to the daily realities of the Comoros, would remain "ambassadors of China-Comoros friendship," carrying the Comorian people's deep aspirations for health, progress and peace.

Chinese Ambassador to the Comoros Huang Zheng said the dispatch of the 16th and 17th Chinese medical teams to the Comoros represents an example of the partnership action plan for health proposed at the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

The ambassador said that the 16th Chinese medical team had carried out its mission with distinction, expressing the hope that the 17th Chinese medical team would continue advancing China-Comoros friendship through its professional expertise, adherence to medical ethics and unwavering dedication.

According to Su Yunyu, head of the 17th Chinese medical team in the Comoros, the new team consists of 11 professionals specializing in general surgery, orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology, and traditional Chinese medicine.

Since 1994, China has dispatched medical teams to the Comoros, an island country in the western Indian Ocean, providing medical services for about 600,000 patient visits as of November.