Barbados has welcomed the eighth medical delegation from China with Minister of State in the Ministry of Health, Davidson Ishmael, Ishmael highlighting the importance of the partnership.
“The people and the Government of Barbados are grateful to have the expertise of these medical professionals who have come a very long way to support the upgrading and the enhancement of our delivery of healthcare here in Barbados,” Ishmael said.
He was present last night at Grantley Adams International Airport to greet the delegation, alongside officials from the Chinese Embassy.
The Minister pointed to the history of cooperation between the two countries.
“We’ve had a long-standing relationship with China over many, many decades and this being the eighth cohort, the eighth delegation of medical professionals who has come, it shows that there has been a long-standing relationship that has been mutually beneficial,” he said.
Ishmael noted that previous delegations had contributed to healthcare services at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and in primary care settings.
The delegation is expected to spend 12 months in Barbados sharing knowledge and providing clinical services in several specialties.
Chinese Ambassador to Barbados, Bingkai Zheng, welcomed the delegation while reflecting on the growing collaboration in healthcare. He noted that the first Chinese medical team was sent to Barbados in 2016 and said the partnership had expanded since then.
“In 2016, we dispatched our first medical team to Barbados and over the years, now we have our eighth, medical team, to be in Barbados. And I think there will be even more cooperation in the medical area and beyond,” the Ambassador said.
