NUR-SULTAN – A group of ten Chinese doctors visited Nur-Sultan, Karaganda and Almaty and stayed for 15 days in an effort to assist Kazakhstan in its ongoing efforts to fight COVID-19. They visited local health care facilities, trained medical workers online and offline, while focusing on some of the most severe cases and ways to prevent the spread of the infection.
Chinese medical team arrives in Nur-Sultan to assist Kazakhstan in its fight against COVID-19. Photo credit: Kazakh Foreign Ministry
“Both humanitarian aid and the team of Chinese experts is one of the first results of the agreements reached between President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of China Xi Jinping regarding the cooperation of the two countries to prevent the further spread of this disease. This is not the first friendly gesture from our Chinese partners. Taking this opportunity, I would like to thank both the Chinese government and many of our partners for the assistance provided to Kazakhstan,” said Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Yerzhan Ashikbayev.
The medical team did not come alone. They brought along 4,800 N95 respirators, 49,600 disposable surgical masks, 2,000 protection suits, 2 ventilators and other medicines that doctors brought with them.
The Chinese doctors came from the People’s Hospital of Xinjiang, Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Xinjiang, No.1 Hospital affiliated to Xinjiang Medical University, and the Friendship Hospital in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. They had first-hand experience in dealing with the coronavirus infection when it broke out in China.
“In 15 days of their stay in Kazakhstan, they conducted 44 online and offline conferences, 35 trainings, and trained 10,790 people. The Chinese doctors answered nearly 500 questions and shared the Chinese experience in the prevention, diagnosing, isolation and treatments of patients,” wrote the Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan in their Twitter account.
Lu Chen, vice president of the People’s Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and deputy head of the Chinese medical team, stressed the need to strengthen protections for medical workers, who currently account for nearly 30 percent of coronavirus cases in Kazakhstan.
“It is important to pay big special attention to the well-being of health personnel. Health care facilities need to have a two-corridor system for doctors and patients, to clean infected areas. At the same time, everyone without an exception, patients, their relatives, doctors must wear masks. Distance must be maintained and temperature must be checked,” said Chen, as reported by dknews.kz
In Karaganda, the Chinese medical team visited Karaganda Medical University and its molecular genetic laboratory as well as a new 100-bed infectious diseases treatment center with 23 intensive care beds designed for patients with moderate severity.
During a seminar with their colleagues in Karaganda, Qiu Guangfeng, a respiratory doctor from the People’s Hospital of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, noted the importance of respiratory rehabilitation, as some patients discharged from hospital were experiencing breathing problems.
The recommendations of the Chinese doctors were included in Kazakhstan’s national clinical protocol in the fight against COVID-19.
Wrapping up their visit, Lu Chen commended the Kazakh health care system.
“We noticed a high level of training among doctors and the equipment used in hospitals is very up to date. At the moment, the main strategy in the fight against infection is not treatment, but prevention and isolation. The citizens of Kazakhstan should listen to the recommendations of the government – and this also applies to the doctors,” said Chen addressing his colleagues in Karaganda.
The Chinese Embassy said that support would continue, that China would continue to help Kazakhstan going forward.
