Global Times - 21.08.2019

DEPTH

he report did not

rmation of China’s

the last two

percent figure can’t

ndition as the data

said.

estimated to

5 percent of its

y the end of 2019,

rts.

have its own PoU

quivalent indica-

or population, Li

Guoxiang, a research fellow at the

Rural Development Institute of the

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,

told the Global Times.

China’s definitions of being lifted

out of poverty include, but are not

limited to, food security, Li said.

The number of rural poor in

China reduced from 98.99 million

at the end of 2012 to 16.6 million

at the end of 2018, with the rate of

poverty dropping from 10.2 percent

to 1.7 percent, official data shows.

A guideline issued on August

19, 2018, reiterates the country’s

target of lifting all rural poor and

impoverished counties out of poverty

and eliminating absolute poverty by

2020 to build a moderately prosper-

ous society.

The guideline shows that the

standards of being lifted out of pov-

erty included the guarantee of food

and clothing, the guarantee of nine

years of compulsory education, cov-

erage of basic medical needs and the

guarantee of basic living conditions.

A reduction of over 10 million of

the Chinese rural poor population

will be reached, the Report on the

Work of the Government 2019 read,

which means the rural poor popula-

tion will be 6.6 million by the end of

this year. The number accounts for

less than 0.5 percent of China’s total

population.

The problem of hunger only ex-

ists in irregular conditions such as

an elderly person with no family who

has not been reached by assistance,

which was a very rare occurrence

found in our research, Ma Wenfeng,

a Beijing-based agricultural ana-

lyst told the Global Times over the

weekend.

The issue of nutritional imbal-

ance, however, does need to be

improved on a small scale, Ma said.

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break of cholera

eam with no

y could to help

ce led to the

se doctors, who

atigue and liver

octors battled

eak, Gong

culties, the team

sick people. For

mself to settle

p improve the

dical Team for

el that Zambia’s

medical conditions are backward and

need us very much. So after the Medical

Team’s work, I decided to stay in Zambia

and start this clinic to continue servicing

the health of the Zambian people,” Gong,

who runs Rong Zeng Clinic in Lusaka, the

country’s capital, told the Xinhua News

Agency in recent days.

The 80-year-old doctor said he has

been running his clinic for the last 22

years, during which time he has attended

to about 160,000 patients for the diagno-

sis and treatment of various diseases.

“The medical fee here is flexible and

can be exempted. I am very happy to do

something for the local people. I want to

continue to work hard to do what I can do

for the health of the Zambian people and

overseas Chinese, and for the friendship

between the two peoples,” he said.

In 2015, Gong represented the China

Medical Team to accept the first “China

Ambassadors Friendship Award,” an

honor that only those Chinese who make

significant contribution to Zambia’s devel-

opment are entitled to.

Main motivation

Despite his advancing age, the doctor’s

passion to help people has been his moti-

vation for staying in Zambia.

According to him, apart from treating

patients, he also shares his knowledge

with locals of how they can take care

of their health themselves and prevent

diseases.

His medical skills and work ethic

have not escaped the recognition of his

patients, who showered him with praise.

Christopher Siakakole, 65, who has

been Gong’s patient since 1999, com-

mended the Chinese doctor for his work

ethic and the efficacy of Chinese medi-

cine.

“Because the doctor is very good, their

medicine is very good. It works very well.

So far, from 1999 up to this time, I am

still very healthy because of the medicine

which they gave me,” he said.

He said he has been coming to Gong’s

clinic because he has confidence in him,

adding that he has also been taking his

family.

Carlos Moyo Caroso, another patient,

had praise for the doctor, saying she was

happy with his experience and service.

“We are happy with his service, service

here is very good,” she said.

Gong, who still goes running every day,

is just one of the Chinese doctors work-

ing to help improve the health system in

Zambia.

Since 1978, the Chinese government

has sent 21 Medical Teams and 574 Medi-

cal Team members to Zambia. The teams

have treated more than 3 million patients,

carried out more than 20,000 types of

surgeries, and introduced and imple-

mented more than 700 new technologies

and projects.

Xinhua – Global Times

doctor changing

Zambia

uality