I am a Doctor, I am a “Health-Keeper” Committed to Africa

My name is Qin Haili,  I am an attending physician in the intensive care unit in the Second People’s Hospital of Changzhi City, Shanxi Province, China.

Qin Haili, head of the 22nd Chinese medical team to Yaounde, Cameroon

I am honored to be a member and head of the 22^nd Chinese medical team in Yaounde, Cameroon. Here is a short background story as well as my experience and discovery about the China-Africa medical cooperation.

 I was born in an ordinary peasant family in a remote village in China, where villagers could only go to faraway cities to get medical care when they got sick. So, people in my village could not see a doctor in time, which will delay many cases and made some treatments difficult. These sufferings motivated me to become a doctor since my  young age, so that I can save the lives of people in my village and even in the whole country. With the encouragements of my parents, I studied hard and finally realized my dream of being a doctor.

But being a doctor in China is not an easy matter. It requires hard work and good personality, but also you need to earn people’s trust.  Like all my colleagues, in order to become an excellent doctor, one must not only study very hard for decades, but must constantly improve its medical skills, and also showcase to be a good “health-keeper”, and warmheartedly devote itself in reducing pain and human suffering.

In 2013, I started to work professionally. As I came into contact with more and more patients, I deeply realized that being a doctor is not only a profession, but also a faith. In the clank of oath, we bear the weight of life. In the past eight years, I have met with countless patients. A doctor daily routine is to run on the road of curing diseases and saving lives, and fight against infinite diseases with limited energy. Sometimes we run into critical situations, and we may come out with unsatisfactory results, however we still need to go forward with ideals and beliefs.

The second people’s hospital of Chanzhi (China)

For every doctor, the wheels of the ambulance race to compete for every minute of life; Shadowless lamp blade sonorous, only for the heart rate machine jumping waves; I came to my desk to serve my purpose in the white robe. Sometimes we are gratified, sometimes misunderstood, we revere life and we fear death, and we look forward to medical advances that will bring hope and health to more people.

In June 2021, I received the notification of the medical aid to Cameroon, which made me very happy. It gave me the opportunity to make the very first contact with African people, experience life in Africa, and to better understand the African culture. Honestly speaking, this opportunity was given to me by the fruitful cooperation between China and Africa.

Since the first medical team was dispatched in April 1963, China-Africa medical and health cooperation has gone through a glorious journey of 50 years. China and Cameroon established the diplomatic relations in 1971, and since then the cooperation and friendly ties between the two countries have been so successful. It is in that context that my team and I came to Cameroon to help the people and support our Cameroonian colleagues. Our group of 11 doctors arrived in Yaounde on April 24, 2022. We were so curious about everything.

The 22nd Chinese medical team in Cameroon

Our mission here is to put our skills at the service of the population through curing patients both at hospitals and in localities, especially for those having financial difficulties, but also to share our expertise with local doctors. We are also looking forward to popularize the traditional Chinese medicine to help build the image of our country. To achieve our mission in Cameroon, I studied French for 6 months in China before coming in Cameroon with my colleagues. We are met with many challenges in our daily work in Cameroon, lot of things need to be improved in the Cameroon heath care system, and we believe we will handle them thanks to the China-Cameroon Medical Cooperation.

“China Aid to Africa” is an important part of China’s major country diplomacy and represents the great love of the Chinese nation. Land has boundaries, but love knows no boundaries. In the 1950s and 1960s, the seeds of love were sown in the friendship between China and Africa. The common historical experience and common struggle have long linked Africa’s destiny to China’s. Africa has assisted China in many ways. As soon as China was hit by the epidemic, Africa sent concerned, attention and heartfelt wishes. Although China and Africa are separated by oceans, they are like brothers in heart. We should coexist hand in hand. Life is limited and life is priceless.

We will devote our medical expertise to the people of Cameroon without reservation. With concrete actions, we will dedicate our youth and energy to the friendship between the peoples and the two nations.