Chinese doctors provide first aid training to residents of Sinthiou Bamambe-Banadji in Senegal's Matam region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 21st Chinese medical aid team from Fujian province provided free medical consultations to around 600 people during a three-day outreach program from May 14 to 16 in Sinthiou Bamambe-Banadji, Senegal's Matam region.

The number of patients was nearly four times the team's initial estimate of 160. Some villagers set out before dawn, walking for hours along unpaved roads to receive medical care, while residents welcomed the team with traditional songs.

The 14-member team departed from Longyan on April 8 to begin a two-year medical mission in Senegal. During the event, the team provided hands-on CPR training for residents and offered consultations in pediatrics, surgery, ophthalmology, dermatology, otolaryngology, and traditional Chinese medicine.

Long lines formed at the blood pressure and blood glucose screening stations as medical workers screened residents for common chronic conditions. Team members recorded patient information, provided advice on chronic disease prevention and management, and distributed free medicine to residents with abnormal test results.

Fujian launched its first medical aid mission to Senegal in 1975. Since then, the province has dispatched 20 teams comprising 312 medical professionals, who have treated nearly 3.79 million patients and carried out more than 77,600 surgeries.