Doctors from Zhejiang province perform an eye test in Mali, West Africa. [Photo/zj.zjol.com]

A team of five ophthalmologists was recently sent to Mali, West Africa, by the Health Commission of Zhejiang Province to offer free medical assistance to local patients.

The mission was funded by the Chinese government and conducted at the Mali Hospital. The team performed cataract surgeries on 40 locals, who suffer both from extreme poverty and widespread eye problems.

Despite the poor facilities, the surgeries were successful. The patients expressed heartfelt thanks to the team afterwards.

A Chinese doctor performs cataract surgery on a local patient in Mali, West Africa. [Photo/zj.zjol.com]

The delegation also gave lectures to ophthalmologists at the hospital and donated leftover medical supplies to the hospital.

Mali Hospital, built by China, is one of the only two hospitals in Bamaco, capital of Mali, to have an ophthalmology department. The hospital had offered clinical services to 1,300 patients and performed nearly 70 cataract surgeries as of September 2019.

Zhejiang has sent 849 medical workers to the country since 1968, who have helped promote both local healthcare and China-Mali friendship.

Patients wait outside the clinic at the Mali Hospital. [Photo/zj.zjol.com]