China's Red Cross provides assistance to Malawi, Mozambique following deadly Cyclone Freddy

Cyclone Freddy was the longest-lasting tropical cyclone ever recorded, raging for more than five weeks, killing nearly 700 people. Picture: Reuters/Esa Alexander

Cyclone Freddy was the longest-lasting tropical cyclone ever recorded, raging for more than five weeks, killing nearly 700 people. Picture: Reuters/Esa Alexander

Published Mar 23, 2023

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The Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) has decided to provide emergency humanitarian assistance in the form of cash, the RCSC said.

The RCSC will send 100 000 US dollars (R1.8 million) and 50,000 US dollars of emergency aid, respectively, to the Red Cross societies of Malawi and Mozambique, where heavy casualties and property losses have been caused by Tropical Cyclone Freddy.

The RCSC said it would continue to follow the situation and provide assistance within its capacity.

Meanwhile, the West China Hospital of Sichuan University donated an intelligent laparoscopy training and assessment system to Maputo Central Hospital of Mozambique, adding new dimensions to the long-standing cooperation between the two countries in the health sector.

Speaking at the handover ceremony on Wednesday, Mouzinho Saide, director of Maputo Central, said Mozambique is among the first countries to benefit from the system, which will undoubtedly help the hospital improve its healthcare and service quality.

Developed by Prof. Liu Lunxu and his team from West China Hospital, the system incorporated technologies such as image recognition and fine perception and has pioneered intelligent assessment of laparoscopic skills without relying on experts to score trainees' on-site operations.

Saide said: "This technology will allow for good training of our doctors. It improves the quality of patient care in laparoscopic surgery. There isn't much invasion in the laparoscopic-operated patients. The recovery will be faster, sometimes hospitalisation is not even necessary, and the equipment cost is also lower.“

He also recalled that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mozambican medical workforce received valuable training and assistance through health cooperation channels with China.

Liu, who serves as the executive vice president of West China Hospital, said through video link, "By donating the world's first intelligent laparoscopic training and assessment system to the Maputo Central Hospital in Mozambique, we hope to effectively enhance the training level of surgical physicians in the country.“

The medical team leader, Zhang Hao, said the next goal is to help their local colleagues establish an intelligent laparoscopic training centre with the system and the region's first "smart simulation" laparoscopic training centre and objective assessment system.

Xinhua