On December 18, 2025, Madagascar and China celebrated 50 years of medical team cooperation, marking five decades of shared effort in improving healthcare delivery for Malagasy citizens. The anniversary event, held at the Center Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) de Befelatanana in the capital, brought together senior government officials, health professionals, and representatives of the Chinese and Malagasy medical communities.
At the ceremony, Malagasy Minister of Public Health Jean-Larry Rakotovao expressed deep appreciation for the longstanding friendship and tangible health outcomes achieved through the sustained presence of Chinese medical teams in Madagascar. “This partnership has saved countless lives, strengthened our health systems, and nurtured a tradition of cooperation built on trust and mutual respect,” he said.
China’s Ambassador to Madagascar, Zhao Kezhi, reflected on how the collaboration has evolved from early grassroots clinics to comprehensive healthcare support that spans primary care, surgical services, training, and public health outreach. He highlighted that thousands of Malagasy patients have benefited from free consultations, surgeries, and specialized treatment – especially in remote regions where access to medical services is limited.
Over the past half-century, Chinese medical teams have worked in hospitals and community clinics across Madagascar, offering services in internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, ophthalmology, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Such frequent medical outreach reflects China’s broader support for African health systems through person-to-person cooperation, an approach that complements large-scale infrastructure projects.
This milestone comes as Madagascar continues to tackle persistent health challenges, including maternal and child mortality, malaria, and access to basic care in rural provinces. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Madagascar has made strides in expanding immunization coverage and reducing certain communicable diseases, but gaps remain – making sustained partnership especially valuable.
One of the defining features of the China-Madagascar medical cooperation model is capacity building. Beyond providing direct care, Chinese medical teams have trained generations of Malagasy health workers, improving clinical skills, diagnostic capacities, and emergency response. Workshops and training programmes – often hosted jointly with local medical schools – have promoted sustainable, long-term improvements in the country’s health system.
The anniversary also highlighted joint efforts in public health initiatives, including community education on disease prevention, maternal-health campaigns, and support for vaccination drives – all aligned with Madagascar’s National Health Development Plan. Such collaborations echo China’s broader health diplomacy across Africa, where similar efforts have been recorded in countries like Uganda, Tanzania, and Sierra Leone.
Madagascar and China have nurtured a multifaceted relationship that extends beyond health. Bilateral cooperation spans infrastructure, trade, agriculture, and education. In recent years, China has supported infrastructure upgrades in Madagascar, including road rehabilitation projects and transport facilities that improve access to remote communities.
Agricultural collaborations have included technology transfer and training in crop improvement, irrigation, and fisheries, helping boost productivity and local incomes. Educational exchanges, including scholarships for Malagasy students to study in China, have contributed to human-capital development across sectors such as engineering, medicine, and business.
This anniversary celebration also underscored the complementary nature of health cooperation and broader development goals. By improving health outcomes, Madagascar strengthens its workforce, enhances productivity, and lays a foundation for sustained economic growth – outcomes that align with China’s long-term engagement strategy in Africa under frameworks like the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
As China and Madagascar mark half a century of medical cooperation, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to expanding this partnership into the next era. Stakeholders emphasized a shared vision of strengthening health-systems resilience, enhancing local medical training capacity, and mobilizing innovation in digital health and telemedicine.
