By Alusine Sesay
FREETOWN, March 6 ,2026: The Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone hosted a ceremony in Freetown to mark the departure of the 26th batch of the Chinese medical team and to welcome the incoming 27th batch.
The 27th batch includes a specialist neurosurgeon, a highly sought-after expert in Sierra Leone, where such specialists are in short supply.
Chinese Ambassador Zhao Yong praised the outgoing team for successfully completing their mission and highlighted new achievements in China-Sierra Leone health cooperation, including five recently signed agreements. He encouraged the new doctors to continue working diligently to strengthen bilateral ties through medical collaboration.
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health, Austin Demby, expressed gratitude for China’s longstanding support, recalling its critical role during the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks. He noted that China was the first country to donate 200,000 vaccine doses to Sierra Leone during the pandemic. Demby emphasized that the China-Sierra Leone Friendship Hospital stands as a symbol of mutual respect and cooperation and outlined plans to expand it into a state-of-the-art tertiary hospital — potentially the largest in the subregion.
Certificates of recognition were presented to members of the departing team. Liu Longfei, head of the 26th batch, said he was pleased to have completed their mission after a year of service. He noted that the team collaborated closely with local doctors, provided treatment including Traditional Chinese Medicine, and organized more than 50 training courses ranging from clinical practice to first aid.
Li Zheng, leader of the 27th batch, commended the warm reception from Sierra Leoneans and said the new team had studied reports from their predecessors. “We have seen both the successes and the challenges, and we are ready to work with our local counterparts to create a healthier society in Sierra Leone,” he stated.
The incoming team will serve an 18-month mission, continuing the tradition of medical cooperation that has become a cornerstone of China-Sierra Leone relations.