South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"

By Denis Ejulu
The 12th batch of the Chinese medical team on Saturday visited Juba Na Bari, a local village located north of the South Sudan capital to provide free medical check-ups and treatment to hundreds of ailing patients.
Fauzia Lotombiko, a 50-year-old mother of eight was among the several patients who turned up under a mango shed due to the sweltering heat to receive treatment.
The Chinese doctors provided Lotombiko, with drugs to regulate her high blood pressure and also provided pain relief drugs to relieve her back pain.
Since 2014, Lotombiko has endured immense back pain after she had a fall. Her conditioned worsened when she was later on diagnosed with high blood pressure.
“The coming of the Chinese doctors to my home village has raised my hope of getting better. Besides, giving me medicine the Chinese doctors also counseled me,” Lotombiko told The Dawn.
She said this condition robbed her of the chance to do normal work, forcing her to stay at home.
Lilian Poni, 50, also expressed relief when she received free medical attention for her failing kidney.
The mother of five, who has been enduring pain while urinating since 2022, had in the past sought for medical treatment for her condition in her village, but her condition never improved.
She told The Dawn, that she is ready to try the medicine gifted to her by the Chinese doctors, because she believes the medicine is strong and more effective than those she previously used.
“I am hoping that the medicine provided to me by the Chinese medical team will improve my condition,” Poni said.
James Jada, 41, said he brought his daughter to see the Chinese medical team because he had given up on finding proper treatment for her heavy flu and cough which had persisted since November, 2024.
Jada said he is hopeful of his daughter’s condition improving with the medicine given to him for treatment. The doctors conducted general check- up on Jada’s daughter before recommending medicine.
“I thank the Chinese doctors for caring for my daughter, I am hoping for my daughter’s condition to improve and I believe that healing is not instant but a process,” Jada said.

A Chinese Pediatrician examines a sick child in Juba Na Bari village.
Pierina Abraham Norah, a 50-year-old woman who suffers from intense back and joint pains was visited by the Chinese doctors at her home to examine her condition.
She thanked the Chinese doctors for their empathy towards vulnerable people in her community.
The Chinese doctors did not only examine Abraham but provided her with enough medicine to ease her back and joint pains that have plagued her for more than six years.
Abraham’s son Natalie Kon Justine, who organized the visit of the Chinese medical team to carry out medical outreach in his village, commended the Chinese medical team for lifting the treatment burden on his community.
“This village has quite a good number of health clinics, but they are very expensive whereby, many citizens cannot easily afford the cost for treatment in these private health facilities around here,” Justine said.
“This medical outreach has reduced the burden of treatment on many families, because the drugs provided by the Chinese doctors are very strong and effective. There are some drugs in the market which are not effective in terms of healing. I am very happy and sure that this medical visit has had immense impact on the people here,” he added.
Du Changyong, Team leader of the 12th batch of Chinese medical team said the visit to Juba Na Bari aimed to implement the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation as well as to implement the initiative “A hundred medical teams in a thousand villages” to provide medical services to people at grassroots level.
“The 12th batch of the Chinese medical team arrived in South Sudan on September 4th, 2024 and they have already served 6,300 outpatients, and have carried 64 surgical operations, and treated 441 patients in critical condition,” Du said.
In addition, Du said his team has also provided traditional Chinese medicine treatment to 1200 patients, carried out laboratory tests on 850 patients and provided image testing to 800 patients, and also introduced the new medical technology use in Juba Teaching Hospital.
In early December 2024, the 12th batch of Chinese medical team provided medical outreach services to hundreds of rural patients in Lobonok town located 38 km from Juba.
This year 2025, marks the 55th anniversary of the dispatch of the Chinese medical team from Anhui Province, China for foreign medical assistance.
In addition, this year marks also the13th anniversary of the dispatch of the medical team from Anhui to South Sudan.
Du also used this occasion to dismiss the rumours on social media, claiming that members of the medical teams sent to South Sudan are interns that are unqualified for the task.
“We also underline that the rumors circulating in some media outlets claiming that doctors from China Medical Team were students and interns, are absolutely false and misleading. The doctors of China Medical Team are selected and organized to be sent to serve in South Sudan in line with the MoU signed between the two countries, including the number and its due specialties. They are specialists with recognized and certified knowledge and skills to practice safely and effectively in their specialties,” Du said.