Chinese eye doctors begin work in Jamaica

A Chinese medical aid mission for eye disorders began work Monday in the Caribbean state of Jamaica.

As a foreign aid project of the Chinese government, five doctors and three nurses from China are expected to perform some 200 cataract surgeries free of charge in 10 days at the Kingston state hospital.

The Chinese aid also includes the donation of medical equipment and supplies worth 400,000 U.S. dollars to the hospital.

At a welcoming ceremony, Horace Dalley, Jamaica's minister of public service, highlighted the assistance as the latest example of friendship between Jamaica and China, which have been "long-standing partners in several areas over years."

Albert Lue, an ophthalmologist at the Kingston state hospital, told Xinhua that the aid from China is badly needed by his department.

"Many of the cataract patients in Jamaica cannot receive proper treatment due to the operation cost, and a lack of medical resources denies hospitalization to many complicated cases," he said.

According to Chinese Ambassador Dong Xiaojun, the "Bright Journey" medical aid project of the Chinese government has since 2003 benefited up to 300 million eye patients in more than 70 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Oceania.

The aid project was extended to cover Caribbean countries in 2013 following talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Caribbean leaders in Trinidad and Tobago.

By the end of 2014, China has sent 65 medical professionals out of a total of 100 planned, to the Bahamas, Dominica, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago, either to work regularly at hospitals or to provide short-term medical services.

The team now in Jamaica had helped 147 people recover sight in its previous stop in Antigua and Barbuda. Endi