In the early hours of October 25, the Chefchaouen contingent of the 199th Chinese Medical Team to Morocco set off from Shanghai, bound for the Mohammed V Hospital in Chefchaouen to begin a two-year medical assistance mission.
Assigned by the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, the team was organized under the leadership of Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, together with the Jing’an District Health Commission, the Qingpu District Health Commission and the Shanghai Joint Management and Development Center for Medical Associations.
In the departure hall, team members posed for photographs with their families and colleagues who came to see them off, shaking hands in farewell.
A Mission Across Mountains and Seas
On October 21, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University held a send-off ceremony for the medical team. WU Zhengyi, deputy secretary of the CPC Committee of Fudan University and secretary of the CPC Committee of Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, and YANG Weiguo, deputy secretary of the CPC Committee of Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University delivered remarks at the ceremony.
In his speech, Wu pointed out that carrying forward the spirit of Shanghai Medical College is the most distinctive hallmark of this team, and that they should embed the value of “serving the people” into every diagnosis and treatment and every teaching session. All the team members should unite with a shared purpose and spirit, support one another, and fulfill every task with a strong sense of mission and responsibility. The university and its affiliated hospitals will make every effort to provide necessary support and services, enabling the team to perform its duty with peace of mind.
Yang expressed the hope that the members would adapt to local conditions, bring their professional expertise to bear on the basis of actual local needs, and combine clinical treatment with technical instruction and mentoring; and that they would serve as envoys of people-to-people diplomacy and tell China's story well.
“Though separated by mountains and seas, healers transcend distance,” said team leader ZHU Xiaopeng, speaking on behalf of the members. He described medical aid to Morocco as a glorious cause passed down through generations, adding, “The honor is real, and so are the challenges.” He pledged that the team would serve as both doctors who heal the sick and ambassadors of China-Morocco friendship, and would mentor local counterparts with the aim of leaving behind a “homegrown medical team that stays”.
A Legacy Spanning Half a Century
Medical assistance to Morocco is the longest-running international medical mission of Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, and the one in which the largest number of personnel has been deployed.
Since Shanghai organized its first medical team to Morocco in 1975, Shanghai Medical College has long been responsible for assembling the teams and selecting their members for the Moroccan medical assistance program, which covers Al Hoceima, Settat, Chefchaouen, Taza, Errachidia and other locations across Morocco, with a cumulative total of 165 dispatched members.
For more than half a century, successive groups of Shanghai Medical College’s medical team members have crossed mountains and seas to come to North Africa. Adapting to local conditions and rising to every challenge, they have successfully performed a wide range of highly complex surgeries, saved the lives of numerous patients, and won wide acclaim from local governments and residents.
Today, medical assistance to Morocco has long been a vital platform for Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University to serve national strategies, promote exchanges between China and the rest of the world, and convey the warmth of China. It has allowed the original aspiration of “serving the people and striving for a strong nation” to take root and flourish in a distant land.
Team Members
ZHU Xiaopeng, Attending Physician, Department of Endocrinology, Zhongshan Hospital
YANG Liu, Attending Physician, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zhongshan Hospital
XU Feng, Attending Physician, Department of Otolaryngology, Zhongshan Hospital
ZHAO Mingzhi, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital
SUN Ling, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Ophthalmology, Eye & ENT Hospital
LIN Zhenhai, Associate Chief Physician, Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Cancer Center
XU Kaifeng, Level-3 Senior Cook, Children’s Hospital
SHEN Feiyan, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Central Hospital of Qingpu District
LI Zhanbo, Attending Physician, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Central Hospital of Qingpu District
PAO Baofeng, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Central Hospital of Jing’an District
CHEN Xiyuan, Attending Physician, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Central Hospital of Jing’an District
HUANG Yuehan, French Translator, Shanghai Joint Management and Development Center for Medical Associations(END)
Source: Hospital Management Office of Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University
Writer: LI Jingyi, ZHANG Jie
Editor: WANG Mengqi
