On November 18, 2025, the “Overseas Training Course on Medical and Health Management for The Gambia” hosted by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and undertaken by Xiyuan Hospital of CACMS, successfully concluded in Banjul, the capital of The Gambia. This foreign aid training program lasted for 30 days, with a total of 53 trainees. It stands as a significant practice of cooperation between China and The Gambia under the “Belt and Road” Initiative. The successful implementation of the program has not only strongly promoted health cooperation between the two countries but also made a positive contribution to the dissemination of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in West Africa. Chinese Ambassador to The Gambia Liu Jin, Counselor Tong Zhan, Permanent Secretary of the Gambian Ministry of Health Dr. Yusupha Touray, Director of the Human Resources Office of the Gambian Ministry of Health Alhagie Saine, representatives from the Chinese Medical Team stationed in The Gambia, and the expert team from Xiyuan Hospital attended the closing ceremony. Fu Jianhua, the director of the Office of Xiyuan Hospital, represented the hospital at the event and delivered an address.

Group Photo of Graduates from the Overseas Training Course on Medical and Health Management for The Gambia

The closing ceremony commenced with a performance of Eight-Form Tai Chi by all trainees, led by Zi Mingjie and Rong Guang from Xiyuan Hospital expert team. Ambassador Liu Jin, Dr. Touray, other distinguished attending leaders and guests, as well as TV media reporters, watched the trainees' entire excellent performance. Representatives from the Chinese Medical Team stationed in The Gambia also joined in the performance. Following the performance, all participants watched a short video that recapped various segments of the training program since its launch in late October, including classroom lectures, Tai Chi sessions, group discussions, and group presentations. This video vividly demonstrated the program's core focus on medical management, with extensions to TCM culture, health care knowledge, and characteristic TCM techniques, which garnered widespread acclaim at the venue. This training marked the first systematic training in hospital management and TCM culture for senior management personnel of The Gambia's health system, and was also their first exposure to Chinese culture.

Zi Mingjie and Rong Guang from the expert team led all trainees in performing the Eight-Form Tai Chi

In his address, Chinese Ambassador to The Gambia Liu Jin pointed out that “the current period is crucial for fully delivering on the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and is also an important year for deepening China-Gambia bilateral relations.” To date, over 1,500 Gambian professionals have received training in China. Health cooperation, as one of the six priority areas of bilateral cooperation, has always been the most direct and sincere form of people-to-people exchange. This training program, centered on hospital management and integrated TCM characteristics, vividly reflects the practical achievements of China-Gambia medical cooperation.

Dr. Touray, the permanent secretary of the Gambian Ministry of Health expressed high appreciation for the training outcomes, and was particularly impressed by the opening performance of the Eight-Form Tai Chi. He fully acknowledged the hospital management, medical quality, institutional development, nursing capacity enhancement, and TCM culture presentation covered in the course, stating that the training was both interactive and educational, and would strongly promote the development of medical institutions at all levels in The Gambia. He also expressed his commitment to further advancing cooperation with China in the medical and health sector.

Fu Jianhua, the director of the Office of Xiyuan Hospital of CACMS, expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Commerce, the Chinese Embassy in The Gambia, and the Gambian Ministry of Health. He stated that he hoped to take this training as an opportunity to continuously deepen cooperation with The Gambia in areas such as talent training, technical exchanges, and joint research. He also welcomed the opportunity for trainees to pursue further studies in China in the future, enabling Chinese experience to take root, blossom, and bear fruit in West Africa.

Dr. Abdoulie Keita, the trainee representative, thanked the Chinese Government and Xiyuan Hospital for providing this valuable learning opportunity. He stated that through systematic study of hospital management, institutional development, and nursing management, combined with daily Tai Chi practice, he has gained a deeper understanding of TCM culture. He also expressed admiration for the efficient operation and development of China's hospital system, as well as its characteristic TCM techniques. He believed that integrating what was learned into daily work and management would surely contribute to the advancement of The Gambia's health management and improve the health and well-being of its population.

Trainees conducted group discussions during the training

Experts from Xiyuan Hospital shared TCM techniques during the training

Xiyuan Hospital has trained over 3,000 health officials from more than 90 countries worldwide over the past 15 consecutive years. The successful implementation of this overseas training in The Gambia serves as a vivid practice of TCM supporting the building of a global community of health for all. It also blazes new trails for the international spread of TCM and lays a solid foundation for future medical and health cooperation between China and The Gambia.

Group photo of the Xiyuan Hospital expert team, representatives from the Chinese Embassy in The Gambia, and the Gambian Ministry of Health

Contributed by: Office of International Exchange and Cooperation

Xiyuan Hospital