Chinese experts join Azerbaijan virus battle

A group of Chinese medical experts arrived in the Azerbaijani capital Baku on Tuesday at the invitation of the government to help in the fight against the coronavirus.

The Chinese experts said they will use the opportunity to learn more about the pandemic conditions in Azerbaijan, share COVID-19 treatment experience with their counterparts in the country, and promote bilateral cooperation in medical and healthcare matters.

The group was set up by the National Health Commission, and all 10 medical experts were chosen for the mission from the West China Hospital in Chengdu, the capital of the southwestern province of Sichuan.

The group's ranks include directors from the infectious diseases, epidemiology and pneumology departments in the hospital, as well as senior medical experts in the application of combined Chinese traditional and Western medicine treatments.

A batch of medical and pandemic-control supplies, including protective clothing, masks, goggles and other items, arrived in the Caucasus country along with the expert group. The supplies will be handed over to the government and medical institutions.

As of Tuesday, 226 new cases of the novel coronavirus were confirmed by Azerbaijan's Healthcare Ministry, bringing the total to 32,910.

"We will start our job of investigating and analyzing the overall condition of pandemic prevention in the country as soon as we can, and we will then give our professional advice," said Cheng Yongzhong, the expert group's leader and deputy Party chief of the West China Hospital.

"In the meantime, we will share the anti-pandemic experience from China with the Azerbaijani side. Chinese experts will provide help and share their experience with peers in local hospitals in the fields of treatment, critical care and medical examinations," said Cheng, adding that all members of the group have vast experience in the fighting the pandemic. Team members had served not only in Chengdu, but also in Wuhan, Beijing and other cities, Cheng said.

Fellow team member Wu Ying is the deputy head of nursing in the Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Department of the Chengdu hospital. Wu had been a part of a group sent from the West China Hospital to help in Wuhan during the city's outbreak early this year. She stayed on for 60 days at a hospital in the hard-hit capital of Hubei province.

Precious experience

"Due to the precious experience I gained in Wuhan, I am confident in how we will carry out our work in Azerbaijan at this time," Wu said, adding she is ready to meet any of the challenges that surface in Azerbaijan and vows to help the Azerbaijani people as much as she can.

Azerbaijan provided help in February when China was suffering in the early stages of its coronavirus outbreak, and donated medical supplies to Sichuan province, said Li Yunze, the vice-governor of Sichuan.

Now, it is Sichuan's turn to help out in sending elite medical experts to Azerbaijan, while showing the mutual support and deep friendship between China and Azerbaijan, Li said.