Chinese govt extends support for Laos’ fight against Covid-19

A second group of Chinese medical experts, along with essential supplies, has arrived in Vientiane to help Lao authorities in their efforts to combat the Covid-19 outbreak.

An official ceremony to welcome five Chinese army medical specialists took place at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane on April 24 in an atmosphere of warm friendship between Laos and China. The event was attended by Chinese Ambassador to Laos Mr Jiang Zaidong and personnel from the Lao People’s Army.
The Chinese specialists will be working with their Lao counterparts at the 103 Hospital in Vientiane. They brought supplies including 10,000 PCR kits,10,000  KN95 masks, 30,000 face masks, 200 protective goggles, 10,000 sets of protective clothing, 10,000 medical hats for surgery, 10,000 kits of medical gloves, 1,000 bottles of gel hand-rub, 100 temperature testing kits, 50 hospital beds and 100 bins for hospital use.
 The first group of Chinese medical personnel (12 doctors and other medical staff), along with essential supplies, arrived in Vientiane on March 29 and worked alongside Lao medical staff until April 10 to reinforce the efforts of local authorities to combat the Covid-19 outbreak.
Chinese and Lao medical personnel jointly screened numerous individuals and identified people infected with the virus, tested samples taken from people with Covid-19 symptoms, and treated hospital patients.
The Chinese doctors and officials shared their knowledge of the virus and appropriate prevention and treatment methods with medical staff in Vientiane, which they will use to control and prevent the spread of the virus.
The Chinese team, working in two groups, also went to Luang Prabang and Champassak to help authorities in these two provinces curb the spread of Covid-19.
Their main work involved examining and evaluating places at high risk for the disease in the two provincial capitals.
They also conducted training courses for Lao doctors and nurses on appropriate care for Covid-19 patients in provincial hospitals. 
The Chinese advisers helped Lao medical officials to improve their methods of preventing and controlling Covid-19.
Recently, Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defence also provided medical specialists and equipment worth more than one billion kip (VND 3 billion) for Laos to assist in the country’s efforts to stem the outbreak.
The Vietnamese experts and officials are sharing their experiences and lessons learnt in dealing with and managing the coronavirus.
They also brought 100,000 cloth face masks, 30,000 surgical face masks, 2,000 items of protective clothing, 5,000 bottles of dry antiseptic solution, and 500 kg of chlorine for use as disinfectant. Most of the equipment is made in Vietnam and is currently in high demand.

By Phomphong Laoin
(Latest Update April 27, 2020)