China, Sierra Leone sign medical aid agreement

FREETOWN - China and Sierra Leone have signed an agreement on medical aid in maternal health care as well as eye surgery.

The agreement was signed over the weekend by Dr. Abu Bakar Fofanah, Sierra Leone's Minister of Health and Chinese Ambassador Zhao Yanbo.

In the signing ceremony, the Chinese Ambassador said that during the Ebola outbreak, they realized that Sierra Leone did not have enough doctors working for the Chinese built Jui hospital on the outskirts of the capital city Freetown.

He said that now the Ebola was over, but the problem of shortage of doctors was still existing in the country.

For this reason, China has decided to provide medical aid in maternal health care and eye surgery to Sierra Leone, he said, adding that the medical equipment will be left for the Health Ministry after the Chinese doctors leave the country.

Since 1973, China has been sending medical personals and supplies to Sierra Leone.

"We are grateful for all the assistance the government and people of Sierra Leone received," Sierra Leone's minister of health said.

He said they were looking forward to working with Chinese doctors and contributing better health care to the country.