STORY: Chinese-invested hospital helps advance healthcare in Ethiopia
SHOOTING TIME: Nov. 4, 2023 
DATELINE: Nov. 17, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:11
LOCATION: Addis Ababa
CATEGORY: HEALTH

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Chinese-invested Addis Ababa Silk Road General Hospital
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ZHANG QIANG, Doctor at Addis Ababa Silk Road General Hospital
3. various of the patients getting treatment
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Amharic): ETENESH SISAY, Patient
5. various of the patients getting treatment
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Amharic): BITEW SEWUNET, Patient

STORYLINE:
Inside the Chinese-invested Addis Ababa Silk Road General Hospital, a team of specialized medical professionals conducted Africa's first advanced vein care and treatment.

The operation led by Zhang Qiang marks a new milestone in the hospital's fast-growing reputation as the leading healthcare service provider in the East African country.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ZHANG QIANG, Doctor at Addis Ababa Silk Road General Hospital
"Varicose veins is one of the most popular diseases in the world. Traditionally, the treatment destroys all the veins along the leg, but that will cause a lot of complications. Now, we have a very new technology. That changed the total story of the treatment. Usually, Usually, the treatment for varicose veins, the patient has to stay in the hospital for three to seven days after the procedure, but now in only maybe one hour, the patient can walk out of the operating room right away and go back to work, to their normal daily life. That is a big change because of the cutting-edge technology."

Wang Jianhua, chief executive officer (CEO) of the hospital, said the success of the operation has helped fulfill their aspiration of modernizing healthcare in Ethiopia with high-quality medical technologies and expertise.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Amharic): ETENESH SISAY, Patient
"I rarely go to medical facilities as it is very difficult for me to afford the ever-growing cost. Instead, most of the time I rely on traditional treatment, which is less costly but not as effective as the one available at private health facilities. Thanks to this hospital, I am now receiving medical examinations and treatment free of charge. This is very important for us as it would have been very difficult for us to access such excellent treatment elsewhere."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Amharic): BITEW SEWUNET, Patient
"Nowadays, it is almost impossible to find such a high-standard health facility as inclusive as the Silk Road hospital. It is very difficult for those financially challenged members of the community like me to benefit from the latest advancements in the healthcare sector. We hope other health facilities in our country learn from this hospital and address the needs of low-income community members."

As the first Chinese-funded hospital in Ethiopia, the Addis Ababa Silk Road General Hospital, with a team of about 200 multi-disciplinary health professionals from 16 countries, has often been regarded as an emblem of broader China-Africa cooperation in the public health sector.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Addis Ababa.
(XHTV)