China Medical Team reaches 30,000 patients through free outreach clinics
The 12th China Medical Team has provided free specialist medical services to more than 30,000 Malawians through outreach clinics conducted across the country since July last year, helping to bridge the gap in access to specializedhealthcare,
particularly in rural communities.
The milestone was announced on Tuesday during a free outreach clinic at Kabudula Community Hospital in Lilongwe, where patients received consultations, diagnosis and treatment from Chinese medical specialists at no cost.
Speaking at the session the team’s leader, Liu Shangwu, said the outreach program is part of the long-standing health cooperation between Malawi and China and is intended to complement government efforts to improve access to quality healthcare.
He said the team provides specialist services in cardiology, endocrinology, general surgery, pediatric surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, infectious diseases and radiology, among other disciplines.
“Since July last year, we have treated more than 30,000 patients through outreach medical services. Our goal is to ensure that people, especially those in rural communities, have access to specialist healthcare services that are often difficult to obtain,” said Shangwu.
He added that many patients in remote areas struggle to access specialist care due to long travel distances and high costs, making the outreach clinics an important intervention in improving health outcomes.
The China Medical Team has been working in Malawi since 2008 under a bilateral health cooperation program between the governments of Malawi and China, supporting public hospitals through specialized medical services, training and periodic outreach clinics.
Kabudula Community Hospital Deputy Officer-in-Charge Blessings Matope described the initiative as a major relief for the facility, saying it had eased pressure on the hospital by enabling specialists to attend to large numbers of patients in a single day.
“This outreach has really eased the burden on our staff because many patients who would normally wait for referrals or travel to other facilities are being treated here. The specialists are able to see many patients at once, and we are very grateful for this support,” he said.
Despite the support, Matope said the hospital continues to face staffing challenges due to a shortage of healthcare workers against a growing patient population.
He said the limited number of medical personnel has increased pressure on the existing staff, affecting service delivery, and appealed for more healthcare workers to be deployed to the facility to meet the rising demand for medical services
