On March 7, 2024, the Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation of Sierra Leone jointly held the farewell and welcome reception for all members of the 24th and 25th batch of Chinese medical teams to Sierra Leone. Mr. Wang Qing, Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, and Mr. Austin H. Demby, Minister of Health and Sanitation of Sierra Leone, attended and addressed the reception. About 100 people including officials from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation of Sierra Leone and United Nations agencies in Sierra Leone, representatives of the Health Commission of Hunan Province and Chinese organizations in Sierra Leone, and overseas Chinese, attended the event.

Ambassador Wang Qing said that the 24th batch of Chinese medical teams to Sierra Leone vigorously promoted the spirit of the Chinese medical team, actively carried out life-saving and healing activities, benefited the local people with benevolence, and added a new chapter to the China-Sierra Leone friendship. It is believed that the 25th batch of medical teams will continue to be angels in white who save lives and messengers of conveying friendship, and make new contributions to deepening China-Sierra Leone medical and health cooperation and building a global community of health for all.

Mr. Demby sincerely appreciated the 24th batch of medical teams for their contribution to promoting the development of health services in Sierra Leone, and warmly welcomed the 25th batch of medical teams. He said that China’s dispatch of medical teams to Sierra Leone over the past half century has been highly praised by the Sierra Leone people, and has made China-Sierra Leone friendship deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Sierra Leone is willing to further deepen medical and health exchanges and cooperation with China.

Representative of the Health Commission of Hunan Province, captains of the 24th and 25th batches of Chinese medical teams addressed the reception respectively. The reception was in a warm and touching atmosphere. Sierra Leone mainstream media reported on the spot.

Since 1973, the Chinese government has sent 24 batches of medical teams to Sierra Leone with 364 doctors, and has treated more than one million local patients and trained over 5000 local medical staff.