Cabo Verde and China have signed a new deal strengthening cooperation in the health sector, with the African archipelago set to receive more Chinese doctors and donations.
The island nation will also receive a donation of medical equipment worth 43,000 euros for its flagship Agostinho Neto University Hospital.
Xu Jie, China’s ambassador to Cabo Verde, praised the deal as laying the foundation for cooperation in the health sector for the next five years, building on 40 years of such ties between the two countries.
[See more: Cabo Verde deemed ‘freest’ country in Africa by US political advocacy group]
Chinese-Cabo Verdean cooperation in health began in 1974, two years before bilateral relations were established. In the decades since, China has provided a wealth of assistance, building health infrastructure, offering technical cooperation, sending medical missions, donating equipment, training health professionals, establishing scientific exchanges between hospitals, and conducting research.
Earlier this month, for example, the 20th Chinese medical mission to Cabo Verde ended its tour, having arrived in September 2022. The team of eight doctors, specialising in everything from obstetric gynaecology to neurosurgery, served more than 3,000 patients and participated in the education and training of more than 300 health professionals during their 20-month stay. They also helped in the creation of the country’s first intensive care unit.
Work like this is why Cabo Verde’s minister of health, Filomena Gonçalves, highlighted the crucial role of Chinese doctors at the recent signing. She also emphasised how the materials donated by China – for the operating room, orthopaedics and obstetrics – will strengthen the ability of the country’s main hospital to effectively respond to health challenges.
