STORY: Timorese doctor hails Chinese medical team's work
DATELINE: June 13, 2023
LENGTH: 0:02:05
LOCATION: Dili
CATEGORY: HEALTH

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Timor-Leste
2. various of the Chinese medical team
3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): CLAUDIA, Doctor, Guido Valadares National Hospital in Timor-Leste

STORYLINE:

Officially independent in 2002, Timor-Leste is one of the youngest countries in the world and also one of the least developed countries.

With a total population of 1.34 million, the country suffers a serious shortage of medical resources.

In 2004, China sent its first medical team to support Timor-Leste. Up to now, China has sent nine medical teams with a total of 111 personnel, which have treated more than 300,000 local patients in addition to regular donations of medical equipment.

Besides medical support, China has also helped the country cultivate its own medical resources.

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): CLAUDIA, Doctor, Guido Valadares National Hospital in Timor-Leste
"I'm Dr. Claudia. I'm a cardiologist. I always wanted to study medicine when I was a child. At that time, China was the only country that gave us scholarships to study medicine. It was a little bit difficult at first because the Chinese language was not easy to learn. But Chinese teachers and other students helped us. Chinese doctors were very friendly to their patients. I learned a lot in China. There were not so many doctors in Timor-Leste at the time when we announced independence, so the Chinese medical team was very helpful. China sent specialists, such as surgeons, orthopedists, and anesthesiologists. They came here and helped many departments. In addition to working in the hospital, they have also treated people who were not convenient to come and see a doctor. So their work has been very helpful in Timor-Leste. I hope that China will send more medical teams here."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Dili.
(XHTV)