Chinese medical professionals from the 26th Chinese medical team to Mozambique delivered free medical consultations and donated essential medical supplies on Inhaca Island, a coastal community near Maputo, in a weekend outreach event that also marked activities for the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges. The initiative, organised in collaboration with the China Road and Bridge Corporation, brought much-needed grassroots healthcare services to an area with limited local access to complex medical care.
Over 240 residents, including families, elders and tourism workers – benefited from open consultations that addressed common conditions such as wounds, eye diseases, hypertension, diabetes and musculoskeletal pain. During the outreach, doctors conducted physical examinations, offered diagnoses, and donated a range of medical equipment and medicines to support local primary healthcare facilities.
In addition to clinical services, the team provided health education on cholera and malaria prevention, especially relevant following recent flooding that heightened the risk of water-borne and mosquito-transmitted diseases. This dual approach, combining treatment with preventive counselling, reflects a growing emphasis in China-Mozambique health cooperation on holistic community well-being and resilience.
Local leaders expressed appreciation for the outreach, noting that while preventive services have long been available on Inhaca Island, residents have often had to travel to Maputo for more advanced care. The event was particularly timely given population growth and rising tourism, both of which are increasing pressure on the island’s health services.
China’s medical engagement in Mozambique extends back decades and remains a pillar of the bilateral relationship. Previous Chinese medical teams have organised free clinics in Maputo and provinces across the country, including comprehensive services ranging from obstetrics and orthopaedics to acupuncture and chronic disease management. These efforts have often been tied to key diplomatic milestones – such as the 50th anniversary of China–Mozambique diplomatic ties in 2025, when a large-scale clinic was staged at Matola Provincial Hospital offering multi-specialty care.
Chinese medical teams have also regularly donated specialised equipment to Mozambican health institutions, such as spinal surgery instruments and related consumables provided to Maputo Central Hospital, enhancing local treatment capacity and technology transfer. Many Mozambican clinicians have received further training in China, strengthening clinical expertise and institutional partnerships.
Health cooperation is part of a broader strategic engagement between China and Mozambique that encompasses infrastructure development, trade, education, and technical training. Chinese support for Mozambique’s healthcare system has run alongside major infrastructure projects, from airport modernization to rail improvements via Chinese partners, that strengthen connectivity and economic resilience.
The Inhaca Island outreach is also a featured event in the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, an initiative to deepen cultural, educational and professional engagement between China and African nations. Under this banner, China and its partners aim to expand not only economic cooperation but also health, education, sports, youth exchanges and community service programmes that bolster mutual understanding and practical impact on the ground.
Mozambique’s prioritisation of community-level health aligns with continental commitments to universal health access and disease prevention, resonating with goals outlined by the African Union and global health bodies to tackle malaria, cholera and other endemic diseases that significantly affect sub-Saharan populations.
As the medical team departs Inhaca Island, the lasting impact of hands-on training, donated supplies and public health education will continue to support local health systems. For many island residents, the outreach was more than a clinic – it was a lifeline that brought advanced care to their doorstep and reinforced a long-standing friendship between Mozambique and China grounded in sustained health cooperation, shared capacity building and community-centred service delivery.
