KUALA LUMPUR: A medical consultant expert team sent by the Chinese government wrapped up their two-week working visit to Malaysia on Sunday, during which they shared Chinese experiences in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in a gesture of solidarity and friendship between the two countries.
The team was seen off on Sunday at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport by Chinese Ambassador Bai Tian and representatives from Malaysia’s Health Ministry.
The team was organized by China’s National Health Commission and selected by the health commission of Guangdong province, comprised of eight health experts in various fields such as infectious disease, respiratory, intensive care, microbiology/virology, nosocomial infection and Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
During the two-week stay in Malaysia, members of the team shared China’s measures and experiences related to fighting COVID-19, based on their respective areas of expertise, said Li Jun, head of the Chinese anti-COVID-19 Medical Consultant Expert Team.
According to Malaysia’s Health Ministry, the expert team visited 13 medical institutes, public universities and research facilities in and around the capital city of Kuala Lumpur as well as in Sarawak and Sabah in east Malaysia. A total of 15 teleconferences were held throughout their visit.
“We wanted to share with our Malaysian friends on what China has experienced and what we have done in Guangdong Province to fight the pandemic; we wanted to share without reservation in the hope that they could apply what is suitable for them,” Li told reporters before leaving Malaysia, noting that “I think we have achieved that goal.”
During the discussions, Malaysian officials, doctors and experts have shown interest in learning from China’s experiences, including the application of TCM in treating COVID-19 patients in China, to which the expert team had provided detailed explanations, said Li.
“TCM has benefited the people in China, and we hope it would also benefit the people in Malaysia,” said Li, who is the vice-president of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
At the end of their stay in Malaysia, the expert team held a wrap-up meeting with the Malaysian Health Ministry, in which they spoke positively of Malaysia’s measures undertaken in addressing the pandemic and in treating the patients.
“Malaysia’s fight against COVID-19 has been conducted in an orderly way,” said Li.
At the meeting, the Chinese experts also provided advice on ways to prevent a rebound of cases, safeguarding medical personnel and testing procedures, among others.
Following the meeting, Malaysian Health Minister Adham Baba said Malaysia has gained valuable insight into handling the COVID-19 outbreak from the experiences shared by the Chinese expert team.
“The shared experiences and knowledge gained from the multiple engagements with the medical expert team have been invaluable, and provided the Ministry of Health Malaysia better understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
This working visit has been a testament to the close relationship between the two countries and Malaysia looks forward to further collaboration with China for the benefit of the community in both countries, he added.
Malaysian officials said they are looking at further cooperation with China in fighting the pandemic, including the development of a vaccine. Li and his team are also looking forward to working with Malaysian counterparts on medical, technical and research cooperation in the future. – Agencies
