Phnom Penh, 6 June (ZXS) -- How does China's anti-epidemic medical team to aid Cambodia create a new model of foreign aid?

——Interview with Fan Maorong, captain of the Chinese anti-epidemic medical team of traditional Chinese medicine in Cambodia

China News Agency reporter Yang Qiang

On May 5, the first Chinese TCM anti-epidemic medical team successfully completed the task of assisting Cambodia and returned to China.

In January 2022, China and Cambodia signed the Agreement between the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of China and the Ministry of Health of Cambodia on Sending TCM Anti-epidemic Medical Teams to Cambodia. According to the agreement, China sent a TCM anti-epidemic medical team to Cambodia.

What is the special background and significance of this mission? What role does traditional Chinese medicine play in helping Cambodia fight the epidemic? What kind of unique aid model has been created by the Cambodian TCM Anti-epidemic Medical Team? China News Agency's "East-West Question" recently interviewed Fan Maorong, captain of the Chinese anti-epidemic medical team of traditional Chinese medicine in Cambodia.

The following is a summary of the interview:

China News Agency: What is the special background of this medical mission to aid Cambodia to fight the epidemic? What is the difference between China's previous medical missions in other countries and regions?

Fan Maorong: The outbreak of the new crown epidemic has seriously threatened human health. In order to implement the spirit of the important instructions of Chinese leaders on strengthening international cooperation and overseas promotion of Chinese medicine against the epidemic and the results of the video meeting between the leaders of China and Cambodia, in January 2022, the first batch of personnel of the Chinese anti-epidemic medical team rushed to Cambodia. This is the first TCM medical team sent abroad at the national level to fight the epidemic. At the peak of the pandemic, they enhanced Cambodia's ability to respond to large-scale outbreaks and set an example for the international community to work together to fight the pandemic.

China has also specially formulated a three-step orderly working mechanism of "advance team-short-term expert group-long-term medical team": from January to March 2022, it will be the mission period of the advance team of Chinese medicine to Cambodia to fight the epidemic, from March to May it will be the task period of the expert group of Chinese medicine to Cambodia, and from May 1 to May 3, it will be the mission period of the Chinese medicine anti-epidemic medical team in Cambodia. This kind of working mechanism has never been seen in China's medical aid missions in other countries and regions in the past.

Another remarkable feature is that for the first time, this medical team has obtained the qualification to practice medicine overseas, and through the "package", a large number of Chinese medicine granules, Chinese and Western patent medicines, Chinese medicine clinical treatment equipment, and appropriate technologies with Chinese medicine characteristics in the aid materials have obtained access qualifications, making important explorations for the overseas legal practice of Chinese medicine and the overseas development of Chinese medicine.

Through the aforementioned working mechanism, Chinese medicine has steadily taken root in Cambodia and set a benchmark for the overseas development of Chinese medicine.

On May 2023, 5, Cambodian Minister of Health Manbenheng presented the Knight of the Order of Cambodia to members of the Chinese TCM Anti-epidemic Medical Team. Photo by Yang Qiang

China News Agency: Relying on the Cambodia-Cambodia China-Cambodia Friendship Hospital in Cambodia, the Chinese anti-epidemic medical team has established the first TCM clinic of a foreign public hospital.

Fan Maorong: Traditional Chinese medicine has a far-reaching influence in the Lancang-Mekong region, and the Thai government legalized TCM in 2000. The successful opening of the above-mentioned TCM outpatient clinic is another milestone achievement in the in-depth development of TCM in the Lancang-Mekong region. This medical team has become the first TCM medical team with a qualification to practice abroad, ensuring substantial medical services overseas and exploring the best model for in-depth cooperation in the medical field between China and Cambodia in the future.

TCM is a comprehensive medicine. Our team established a TCM outpatient clinic in the Cambodian public hospital Cosma China-Cambodia Friendship Hospital, to build a model hospital medical system integrating Chinese and Western medicine, and gradually spread this model to other medical institutions, so as to lay a solid soil for the development of Chinese medicine in the local area. As the first appointment-based department in Cambodia, this TCM clinic brings a new medical experience to local patients, guides people to change their medical habits, and lays the foundation for building a high-quality TCM brand.

The Chinese Anti-epidemic Expert Group of Traditional Chinese Medicine Aid to Cambodia received patients at the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Cosma's China-Cambodia Friendship Hospital. Photo by Zhong Xin

At present, the TCM Clinic has become the "star outpatient clinic" of Kausma China-Cambodia Friendship Hospital: the number of outpatient clinics ranks first in the hospital, with more than 16000,21 people so far. The follow-up rate of TCM has increased from 56% to 15% today, and many members of the royal family and high-ranking government officials regularly follow up at TCM clinics. The proportion of Cambodian patients has increased rapidly, from 43% at the beginning to <>% at present.

Fan Maorong is treating patients. Photo by Zhong Xin

China News Agency: What plans and arrangements do you have for cultivating Cambodian local Chinese medicine talents?

Fan Maorong: Cultivating local TCM talents for Cambodia is an important task of our medical team. As early as when formulating the foreign aid plan, we included Chinese medicine technology training, increased the training of local Chinese medicine talents, and committed to "teaching them to fish".

Cosma China-Cambodia Friendship Hospital actively promotes the participation of local medical staff in Chinese medicine training and learning. The anti-epidemic medical team of Chinese medicine in Cambodia carefully guided the basic skills of "looking, smelling, asking and cutting" the interns on the Cambodian side, and provided them with clinical hands-on operation opportunities to improve the TCM diagnosis and treatment ability of the interns in Cambodia. At the same time, it cooperated with the Cambodian side to apply for research on related topics and conduct in-depth exploration of overseas Chinese medicine assistance models.

In May 2022, the medical team continued to hold a one-month "Cambodian Overseas Training Course on Appropriate Technology of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine" by the expert group. In the same year, relying on the foreign aid training project of the Ministry of Commerce of China undertaken by Xiyuan Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, more than 5 Cambodian personnel completed the training on the theme of traditional Chinese medicine. In March 1, the medical team and Kausma China-Cambodia Friendship Hospital held the "Training Course for Senior Talents in Acupuncture and Tuina in Developing Countries". These trainings are deeply in line with the needs of Cambodian medical industry, and many trainees have a strong interest in Chinese medicine, which establishes a good foundation for systematic learning of Chinese medicine professional knowledge in the future.

The medical team also actively cooperates with relevant Cambodian institutions to hold various popular science lectures and free medical activities, teaching simple and practical basic knowledge and health preservation methods of Chinese medicine to the local people, and helping the local people understand the culture of Chinese medicine.

The "trinity" medical assistance model of medical treatment, teaching and scientific research has effectively improved the assistance effect of foreign medical aid and more effectively promoted the implementation and fruition of Chinese medicine overseas.

Fan Maorong treats patients. Photo by Li Xiaohong

China News Agency: How do you evaluate the role of this medical aid mission in helping to protect the health of the local people and promote the heart-to-heart bond between the two peoples? What other aspects do we need to make efforts to "Chinese medicine go global"?

Fan Maorong: When the epidemic was raging, members of the expert group and medical team used the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine to fight the epidemic and diversified diagnosis and treatment models to help Cambodia fight the epidemic, actively promoted China's epidemic prevention and control experience, and effectively improved the local epidemic prevention and control capabilities.

After the epidemic situation was basically brought under control, the Chinese medical team shifted its focus to the establishment of characteristic outpatient clinics to further highlight the brand effect of traditional Chinese medicine and promote traditional Chinese medicine therapy to Cambodian society faster. According to the local climate and people's habits, the medical team sorted out the local advantageous diseases, and was committed to improving the ability of TCM clinics to solve difficult and rare diseases, and achieved remarkable results in the diagnosis and treatment of common infectious diseases such as dengue fever, typhoid, and malaria.

Fan Maorong is treating patients. Photo by Zhong Xin

The Chinese anti-epidemic medical team of Chinese medicine to Cambodia has gradually won the recognition of the Cambodian people with its "simple and honest" Chinese medicine technology, and has established a harmonious doctor-patient relationship like a family in the follow-up consultation. From the story behind the name of a Chinese medicine and an acupuncture point, the profound connotation of Chinese medicine culture is revealed, and the friendship and understanding of the people of the two countries are further enhanced.

On May 2023, 5, the Chinese anti-epidemic medical team of traditional Chinese medicine in Cambodia took a group photo with local patients before its mission. Photo by Yang Qiang

TAN Sokun, president of Kausma China-Cambodia Friendship Hospital, and MEY Sithach, vice president of Kausma, highly praised the achievements of the Chinese medical team and the Chinese medicine outpatient clinic, and they specially wrote to the Cambodian Ministry of Health, requesting the Ministry of Health to communicate with relevant Chinese departments and continue to send the Chinese medicine medical team to Cambodia to work.

At present, the dissemination of traditional Chinese medicine has expanded to 196 countries and regions around the world, and 30 high-quality overseas centers of traditional Chinese medicine and 56 international cooperation bases of traditional Chinese medicine have been built. To promote Chinese medicine to the world, we must strengthen medical cooperation under the international framework and build a global Chinese medicine service platform. Actively participate in and carry out the promotion and application of Chinese medicine overseas, let the world share the experience and therapy of Chinese medicine in serving human health, and demonstrate the scientific and practical nature of Chinese medicine with conclusive cases.

In addition, we should pay attention to innovative research, let Chinese medicine and modern medicine develop in parallel and coordinated, and expand the dissemination and influence of Chinese medicine culture overseas. (End)

About the Experts:

Fan Maorong, female, medical doctor, doctoral supervisor, chief physician of the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, the fifth batch of national TCM clinical outstanding talents, national TCM clinical characteristic technology inheritance backbone talents, won the first "Young and Middle-aged Respiratory Scholars Elite List - Academic Achievements" award of China "Physician News" in 2021. He has presided over 8 projects, including 2 projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and published nearly 100 academic papers. He is also the Secretary-General and Standing Committee Member of the Respiratory Professional Committee of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine of the Chinese Research Hospital Association, and the Vice Chairman of the Pulmonary Disease Professional Committee of the Beijing Association of Chinese Medicine. From March 2022 to June 3, he participated in the Chinese anti-epidemic medical team of traditional Chinese medicine to Cambodia to carry out overseas anti-epidemic tasks in Cambodia, and was awarded the Knight of the Order of the Kingdom of Cambodia.