On September 14, the Chinese Ambassador H.E. Mr. Yan Xiusheng held a reception for welcoming the fourth Chinese Medical Team and bidding farewell to the third Chinese Medical Team. Acting Minister of Health and Wellness of Barbados, Senator the Hon. Kay McConney presented the reception. Mrs. Donna Forde, Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Ms. June Chandler, Permanent Secretary of Health and Wellness, Mr. Wayne Marshall, Chief Immigration Officer, along with more than 100 guests from Queen Elizabeth Hospital(QEH), the Nursing Council of Barbados, Barbados Medical Council, the Association for Barbados-China Friendship, the Barbados China Returned Scholars Association, members of the Chinese medical teams，representatives from Chinese enterprises in Barbados and overseas also joined the function.
Ambassador Yan Xiusheng delivered a speech in which he fully recognized the third Chinese Medical Team’s achievements in Barbados and warmly welcomed the fourth Chinese Medical Team. He said that sending Chinese Medical Teams to Barbados is to carry out H. E. President Xi Jinping’s solemn promise to dispatch 100 medical personnel to the Caribbean region, to further enhance great friendship between the people of China and Barbados, and to build a community with a shared future for mankind. He expressed thanks to all Barbadian friends for their great support to the fulfillment of the Chinese Medical Team’s mission in Barbados. Furthermore, Ambassador Yan said, the Chinese government is committed to make joint efforts with the Barbadian government to continuously improve the health and well-being of the people of Barbados and push mutual medical and healthcare cooperation.
In her speech, Senator the Hon. Kay McConney expressed her sincere thanks to the Chinese government for the latter’s unselfish support to the Barbadian government and its people. She highly appreciated the quality medical service the third Chinese Medical Team had provided to Barbadians. The Chinese Medical Teams brought advanced expertise and medical interventions to Barbados that contributed to improving the level of healthcare in Barbados and will continue to do so in the future. She pledged that the government of Barbados will continue to enhance cooperation with China in healthcare as it has been important components of pragmatic cooperation between the two countries.
Acting CEO of QEH, Louise Bobb, doctors from QEH and patients spoke respectively at the reception, as well as the heads of the third and the fourth Chinese Medical Teams, Dr. Wang Dong and Dr. Wei Ke.
Mainstream media of Barbados reported the event.