By Marius Musa Kargbo

On the occasion of the International Day of Action for Women’s Health, the 27th Chinese (Hunan) Medical Team to Sierra Leone organized a comprehensive health education and free medical outreach campaign at the Goderich Community Health Centre in Freetown on Thursday.

The initiative combined health education, free clinical consultations, diagnostic services, and targeted treatment, reflecting a growing shift in Chinese medical assistance from traditional clinical intervention toward preventive healthcare and sustainable health awareness.

By the end of the outreach, the medical team had provided quality medical services to more than 300 patients, many of whom were women and children from underserved communities.

Promoting Prevention Through Health Education

Recognizing the widespread lack of awareness surrounding maternal and reproductive health issues at the grassroots level, the Chinese medical team established a dedicated health education section within the health centre.

Using bilingual visual materials in English and Chinese, Dr. Song Yuying and Dr. Zhou Ning delivered interactive lectures on cervical cancer prevention, menstrual hygiene management, reproductive health, and malaria prevention during pregnancy.

In an innovative approach to public health education, Dr. Song transformed the lectures into an engaging question-and-answer session, allowing local women to actively participate and reinforce what they had learned. Women who answered correctly received practical gifts from the medical team, creating an atmosphere of excitement and community participation.

The initiative was widely praised for its interactive model of “education, evaluation, and encouragement,” which not only improved understanding of essential health practices but also highlighted the evolution of Chinese medical aid—from simply providing treatment to promoting long-term health consciousness and disease prevention.

Multi-Disciplinary Medical Services Reach Hundreds

Alongside the educational outreach, the Chinese team established a multi-disciplinary outpatient clinic offering services in obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, orthopedics, pain management, cardiology, infectious diseases, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Despite limited local medical resources, the team delivered highly specialized care. Sonographer Dr. Zhou Cheng operated a portable ultrasound scanner throughout the day, conducting detailed examinations for nearly 20 women, including more than 10 pregnant mothers.

In the gynecology unit, Dr. Song Yuying and Dr. Wang Xitang jointly assessed several long-standing and complicated gynecological cases that had previously gone untreated.

One woman, who had undergone surgery for uterine fibroids two years earlier and had continued to suffer from severe abdominal pain and excessive menstrual bleeding, was diagnosed with advanced diffuse adenomyosis. After carefully assessing her condition and considering the realities of Sierra Leone’s healthcare environment, the Chinese specialists designed a cost-effective total hysterectomy treatment plan and provided detailed pre-operative guidance.

Another patient, who had endured painful recurrent perineal lesions for more than a year, was diagnosed with recurrent genital herpes. The medical team immediately prescribed a standardized treatment plan, provided counseling on home-based care, and dispensed the necessary medications on-site.

In the pediatric section, Dr. Shuai Lanjun attended to dozens of children, offering consultations and treatment while building trust and reassurance among young patients and their families.

Strengthening Sierra Leone’s Primary Healthcare System

Hawanatu Blessing Turay, Senior Medical Officer at the Goderich Community Health Centre, expressed deep appreciation to the Chinese medical team for organizing the outreach on such an important global health advocacy day.

She noted that the intervention came at a critical time and emphasized her desire to further strengthen collaboration between the Chinese medical team and Sierra Leone’s healthcare institutions.

Speaking after the outreach, Dr. Li Zheng, captain of the 27th Chinese Medical Team, revealed that the team has already completed seven mobile medical outreach missions during its nearly three months of deployment in Sierra Leone.

He reaffirmed the team’s commitment to working closely with local communities by delivering targeted medical assistance, expanding public health education, and supporting the long-term development of Sierra Leone’s primary healthcare system.

The outreach campaign underscored the growing importance of international medical cooperation in addressing grassroots healthcare challenges while empowering communitiesespecially women with the knowledge and services needed to lead healthier lives.