At a welcome and sendoff reception of the incoming and outgoing Chinese medical teams held on Monday at the Chinese embassy here, Uganda hailed China for the continued assistance since the first batch of doctors arrived in the country in 1983. Since then, over 211 volunteer doctors from China have served in Uganda, according to the Chinese embassy.

Emmanuel Batibwe, Director of China-Uganda Friendship Hospital said the outgoing medical team has carried out over 2,200 consultations in the last one year out of the 150,000 outpatients that visited the hospital.

Batibwe said the Chinese medical experts worked with their Ugandan counterparts to carry out surgeries.

Charles Olaro, director of health services at the ministry of health said China has for long donated an assortment of medicines and medical equipment, which have been critical in extending health care to many Ugandans.

Olaro said China has also been important in making Uganda ready to handle an Ebola outbreak in case it spreads from neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo where it is ravaging villages.

Among the medical team that was stationed at China-Uganda Friendship Hospital in the capital Kampala is an Ebola expert who has been in constant liaison with the ministry of the health.

Last month, China provided emergency assistance for Ebola prevention and control to Uganda in case it faced an outbreak, according to the Chinese embassy.

Besides the donations, close to 50 medical people from public health facilities also traveled to China for training and seminars.

Zheng Zhuqiang, Chinese ambassador to Uganda said China-Uganda medical and health cooperation is an important part of the eight major initiatives of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in September last year.

Zheng said with the deepening China-Uganda friendship, China continues to provide considerable medical aid to Uganda.