China-Myanmar brotherhood tour to kick off

BEIJING – About 300 patients in Myanmar suffering from cataracts will receive free surgeries from Chinese doctors between May 6 and 16, the China NGO Network for International Exchanges (CNIE) announced recently.

The medical aid is part of the "First China-Myanmar Brotherhood Tour" co-organized by CNIE and the China Foundation for Peace and Development (CFPD).

"The ultraviolet in Myanmar is quite strong, which is one of the major causes of cataract," said You Jianhua, CNIE's secretary general. That's why it is important to help the Myanmar neighbors who suffer from the eye disease regain their sight, he said.

You said five doctors and a nurse from the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province will perform the surgeries. The organizers will then sign a cooperation agreement with the Myodaw Medical Center in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, to establish the “China-Myanmar Eye Treatment Center” within the next five years.

The Chinese side will provide equipment, funding, medicine and training experts, while Myanmar will provide at least 1,000 free cataract surgeries for Myanmar patients every year, according to Bai Wei, the vice secretary-general of the CFPD.

In addition to the medical aid, CNIE will also donate 100 laptops to 10 local schools in Yangon. Chinese and Myanmar entrepreneurs will discuss business opportunities at a forum organized by CINE. Chinese artists and volunteers will give a performance to a Myanmar audience.