Africa's growing connection to China Medical aid for the continent

China and Africa: doctors in the slums, fighting deadly epidemics, and how the People's Liberation Army (PLA) surgical robots rush to the rescue.

Recently, cooperation between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the countries of the African continent has been growing at an unprecedented pace. In addition to massive investments in the economies of African countries, the Chinese side is also taking on the mission of helping to address a number of social issues, including in the field of healthcare.

Infectious diseases on offensive

The epidemiological situation in Africa continues to deteriorate, with a significant increase in outbreaks of dangerous diseases observed for many years. Following the unprecedented Ebola outbreak from 2013 to 2016, one would expect the international community to take appropriate measures. However, in 2020, Africa experienced 106 outbreaks, which rose to 118 in 2021. By October 2022, 129 outbreaks were reported. In 2022, the number of outbreaks in the Greater Horn of Africa reached its highest level since 2000. This fall, Rwanda faced a dangerous outbreak of the Marburg virus, which is similar to Ebola.

Additionally, the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to battle a monkeypox epidemic that has already claimed nearly a thousand lives. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa are persistently plagued by outbreaks of cholera, anthrax, measles, yellow fever, chikungunya, meningitis, and other dangerous infections. In Nigeria alone, over 200,000 people died from malaria in 2023.

These issues are largely due to the underdevelopment of healthcare and social services, a direct consequence of colonial rule and ongoing exploitation by Western corporations. New factors also play a role; according to the World Health Organization (WHO), climate change is contributing to an unprecedented rise in infectious diseases and natural disasters. The frequency of natural disasters is increasing rapidly as well. While there were 32 such incidents in 2014, the number surged to 56 in 2023.

Another reason for the frequent deaths from infectious diseases is hunger. Increasing droughts and floods, coupled with imperialist exploitation and post-colonial backwardness, are causing mass starvation in many African countries. The number of undernourished individuals in the Greater Horn of Africa doubled between 2018 and 2022. A major cholera outbreak in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia in 2023 occurred against the backdrop of severe and prolonged droughts, affecting millions of people. The year 2023 marked a record level of cholera cases in Africa over the past few decades, with 3% of those infected succumbing to the disease. Cholera is a disease of poverty and social inequality, and today nearly a billion people worldwide are at risk of contracting it.

Additionally, another factor hindering African countries from adequately funding their social sectors is the interest payments they owe to the World Bank, the IMF, and other Western creditors.

Chinese brigades coming to Africa's aid

At the Beijing Forum on China-African Cooperation held in September this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping included healthcare collaboration among the "ten partnership actions."

Today, the relationship between China and African countries has been elevated to the level of strategic partnership, and this is not just empty rhetoric. From 2010 to 2012, China’s aid to foreign countries amounted to 89 billion yuan, with only 3.4%—just over 3 billion yuan—allocated to Africa. However, for the period from 2025 to 2027, China has planned to allocate 360 billion yuan to Africa.

For the first time, a Chinese medical team was sent to Algeria in 1963. To date, with China's assistance, several hospitals of Sino-African friendship have been established, including the Songo Hospital in Guinea-Bissau, the Chinhoyi Hospital in Zimbabwe, the Freedom Hospital in Chad, and many other medical facilities. At the recently held China-Africa 2024 summit in Beijing, it was announced that China will establish an entire Alliance of Hospitals with African countries and create new joint medical centres. Two thousand Chinese medical professionals will be sent to Africa, along with the launch of 20 programs aimed at establishing medical facilities and treating malaria.

Each Chinese province’s health department is responsible for assistance to a specific African country. Every year, up to 20 Chinese medical teams operate abroad, with their deployment in Africa lasting up to two years, providing free medical services to the local population.

This is what the missions of Chinese medical professionals look like in practice. In February 2023, the 14th medical aid team was working in Havana; they were in the suburbs of Namibia's capital, Windhoek. In reality, this area is a slum with high crime rates, where residents chronically lack access to water, electricity, and proper medical care. A group of four Chinese doctors conducted heart examinations and checked the eyes, ears, nose, and oral cavities of children there. As a farewell gesture, they donated candies, food, school supplies, and art kits to a local training centre. In gratitude, the students from the art centre, where the check-ups took place, performed a traditional lively African dance for their guests. Over the previous two years, while working in residential communities, university campuses, and UN facilities in Namibia, the 14th team of Chinese medical professionals provided high-quality assistance to 15,000 people.

The People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) is also involved in providing assistance to Africa. A glimpse into the challenges faced by medical personnel in the depths of Africa can be illustrated by a day in the life of the 10th Chinese contingent serving in the UN peacekeeping forces in Mali. In February 2023, in Gao, parents brought in a 15-year-old girl doubled over in pain. To attend the free consultation, they had to walk for over an hour under the scorching sun. An ultrasound diagnosis revealed that the child had liver cirrhosis. Another boy had a significant wound on his head, and many children in school suffer from dermatitis due to a lack of hygiene skills. During this single clinical session, the Chinese military doctors assisted 130 patients.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the 25th medical peacekeeping contingent has taken under its wing an International Children's Village in Bukavu, which cares for orphans and children from other settlements. In just six months of 2022, the contingent treated 400 individuals and performed 30 surgical operations.

This summer, the Chinese Navy hospital ship "Peace Ark" made visits to the ports of Congo (Brazzaville), Tanzania, Gabon, Madagascar, Cameroon, and the Seychelles. Onshore, the medical staff visited several healthcare facilities, providing practical assistance to their African colleagues. During their week in Congo (Brazzaville) in July 2024, the Chinese naval doctors helped 4,450 people, conducted 2,300 examinations, and performed 127 surgeries. Among other procedures, the surgeons from the "Peace Ark" operated on patients with bladder tumours and performed ureteral reimplantation. They were aided by China’s state-of-the-art medical technology, including the shipborne surgical robot Haitu, which made its first international deployment. Congolese veterans suffering from cataracts also received medical assistance.

The 27th Chinese medical team in Tanzania has conducted 4,000 diagnoses and treatments over the past year, performing more than 1,500 surgeries and introducing 40 new medical technologies in the country. Additionally, the doctors from this team also donate blood. Chinese medical brigades play a crucial role in supporting the health of orphaned children in South Sudan.

Thanks to the courses taught by specialists from China, traditional Chinese medicine is becoming increasingly popular on the African continent. "Chinese treatment works wonders; it's like magic," says Richard Mutingwende from Zimbabwe, reflecting the perception of many Africans regarding the effects of acupuncture. "It produces immediate results, especially in cases where other medical systems have no solutions."

China provides significant assistance to Africa in combating one of the most severe threats to its population—epidemics. In particular, Chinese medical professionals have been involved in vaccinating the African population against COVID-19. In 2020, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, reported that 148 teams of epidemic prevention experts from China were working in 11 African countries.

In July 2020, during an extraordinary China-Africa summit on solidarity in the fight against the epidemic, Chinese leader Xi Jinping announced that debts from interest-free loans would be forgiven for African countries affected by the coronavirus pandemic. While some accuse China of trying to entrap developing nations in a "debt trap," it is also providing zero-interest loans for Africa's development. China has established 30 malaria prevention and treatment centres for African countries and has provided anti-malarial medications worth 190 million yuan.

A team of Chinese medical professionals played a vital role in eliminating schistosomiasis in Zanzibar, a severe disease caused by parasites that penetrate the human body from contaminated water. Another one of the most dangerous diseases claiming the lives of many Africans is cholera. Currently, an outbreak is once again occurring in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, where 14,000 people have already fallen ill and 378 have died. By early 2024, more than 20,000 people in Zambia had contracted cholera, resulting in nearly 700 fatalities.

In addition to the lack of drinking water, malnutrition, the consequences of military conflicts, displacement, climate change, and other factors, one of the reasons for the spread of cholera is the shortage of vaccines. Pharmaceutical companies are struggling to keep up with the demand for cholera vaccines due to the alarming rise of this disease worldwide.

In October 2024, an agreement was signed for China to establish a cholera vaccine manufacturing plant in Zambia. This joint venture between the Zambian Industrial Development Corporation and the Chinese company Jilia International Medical Technology Corporation will produce 3 million doses of cholera vaccine annually, addressing the critical shortage both in Africa and globally. As a result, Zambia will become the first country in Africa to manufacture its own cholera vaccine. This cutting-edge oral vaccine, delivered in capsule form, was developed by the Academy of Military Medical Sciences of China. The project’s initial phase will cost $37 million, and before production begins, China will provide Zambia with 3 million doses of the vaccine free of charge.

How many similar enterprises has the West built in Africa? At the recent Beijing China-Africa Forum, Chinese leader Xi Jinping remarked, "When African countries face disasters and need assistance, where is the help from the US and Western nations? China builds infrastructure in Africa, providing interest-free loans and forgiving some debts." With China's assistance, the headquarters of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) was also established. The organization highly values its close cooperation with China, recently expressing "immense gratitude" for the support received.

The secret to African nations' attraction to the People's Republic of China is straightforward: all these countries have endured a period of colonial subjugation and a difficult struggle for liberation, understanding the true value of independence. Considering this, China, now a global economic leader, does not act as a new "master," but rather seeks to pursue a constructive approach to mutually beneficial cooperation while providing extensive social support. In simple terms, unlike the West, China does not "teach how to live" but instead offers practical and material assistance.