The Chinese medical team (CHINMED) of UNMIL has over the years provided assistance in many ways to Liberians in the area of health. They have provided free medical assistance, training and even participated in clean-up exercises in various towns and communities.

In one such outreach, the Chinese Level 2 hospital in Zwedru organised two weeks of training in First Aid, with some 20 participants, including LNP officers and school administrators attending. The participants also included students from various high schools in Zwedru.

Gu Shan, the Liaison Officer at the Chinese Level 2 Hospital told UNMIL Today that participants trained in ways to stop bleeding, dress wounds and deal with fractures. She said they also learnt basic life support techniques.

According to Shan, participants were expected to share this knowledge and skills with their peers when they return to their communities and work stations.

Commenting on the training received, LNP officer Comfort Dolo said it would be particularly useful in dealing with casualties at the scene of a crime.

The initiative was also lauded by Ben Pyne Roberts, a teacher from the Tubman Wilson Institute (TWI) in Zwedru. Roberts expressed the hope that the Chinese will extend the training to other districts in Grand Gedeh County.

He said prior to this ttraining he was not in a position to provide his students with first aid treatment in case of any emergency before taking them to the hospital. Another beneficiary, James S. Quayee, an 11th grade student at the Zwedru Multilateral high school, said the training makes him an asset to his school’s health club.