The wheels rolled up red soil smoke and finally came to a stop in front of the wooden house in Kovar é Kaka Bona village. At the moment when the medicine box was opened, wormwood incense mixed with the coolness of the stethoscope and permeated the dry and hot air. acupuncture and moxibustion silver needles for the first time reflected the cloudy eyes of the villagers due to year-round work, and the silent village had a different life from then on.

Crossing mountains to send doctors to villages and households

Recently, the fifth batch of Chinese medical teams providing assistance to the Solomon Islands carried medical supplies and drugs and entered the village of Kovarekapana in the northwest of Guadalcanal Province, Solomon Islands, to carry out a public welfare clinic for more than 230 local residents. This event has received strong support from the local village chief and Chinese community, and local residents have expressed that it is the first time they can enjoy intimate and efficient medical services at their doorstep.

After receiving an invitation from village chief Joachim JR Junior, the medical team voluntarily gave up weekend rest, prepared various commonly used medicines, and drove through bumpy roads to rush to the village, only to provide convenient medical services to the villagers. The free clinic site is divided into six diagnosis and treatment areas: neurosurgery, urology, breast surgery, cardiovascular medicine, nephrology, and traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture and moxibustion. Coincidentally on Sunday, the number of villagers present far exceeded the estimate. The medical team temporarily organized local Chinese association personnel to learn about blood sugar and blood pressure testing operations, expanded the number of diagnosis and treatment personnel, and simultaneously conducted basic checks such as blood pressure, blood sugar, and cardiopulmonary function for the villagers.

Integrated treatment of Chinese and Western medicine to dispel diseases and warm the heart

For the local common diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic pain, skin disease, etc., medical staff, relying on professional experience in diagnosis and treatment, made meticulous inquiries, and provided free symptomatic drugs to villagers to alleviate the pain. Acupuncture and moxibustion therapy of traditional Chinese medicine is widely recognized by local people. A woman who suffered from rotator cuff injury due to year-round work said that after acupuncture and moxibustion, her arm could move normally, and the effect was very significant. Medical staff also gave plaster to consolidate the effect.

Another villager suffering from low back pain and panic recovered a stable heart rate after experiencing acupuncture and moxibustion. The medical staff explained the knowledge of the five elements of the meridians of traditional Chinese medicine in simple and understandable language, so that the villagers could understand the principles of traditional medicine intuitively. The villagers highly recognized the diagnosis and treatment of traditional Chinese medicine, and hoped to continue to receive relevant treatment in the future. During the free clinic, the staff noticed a villager with low blood sugar and mental exhaustion. They immediately took out their lunch bread to replenish their energy, and the villager was filled with gratitude.

The captain of the medical team, Chuliang Zhao, stated that this free clinic is not just about asking questions and dispensing medication. In the early stage, we have collaborated with Chinese communities to conduct on-site investigations and prepared sufficient corresponding drugs in combination with local high incidence diseases. On site, basic physical signs are first measured for villagers, and health records are established. After initial screening and diagnosis by nurses, specialized doctors diagnose and treat them. When prescribing medication, detailed instructions are given on how to take it. Severely ill patients will be arranged to go to the medical team's stationed hospital for follow-up, ensuring a closed cycle of diagnosis and treatment. The local villagers lamented that rural medical resources are scarce, and the Chinese medical team has brought scarce drugs. The patient and meticulous consultations have made everyone feel warm.

Regular free clinics and long-lasting friendships

The free clinic activity lasted until after 4 pm on the same day, with a large number of villagers queuing up for treatment. All medical staff gave up their lunch break in the hot and humid environment and patiently received and answered questions. Everyone expressed that the people had needs and all the hard work was worth it. This "Hundred Teams and Thousand Villages Tour" free clinic is in line with the development goal of promoting high-quality medical education in Solomon Islands, filling the gaps in remote rural medical care, effectively solving the problem of medical treatment for the masses, and bringing the people of China closer together. Keywords: aid medical team, hundred teams and thousand villages tour, free clinic

Captain Chu Liangzhao proposed that the medical team will continue to fulfill its mission of providing medical aid to foreign countries, and make free clinics in rural areas a regular work. While ensuring the diagnosis and treatment work of the stationed hospitals, they will use their rest time to go to more remote villages, provide professional and comprehensive medical services, continue to promote medical exchanges between China and the United States, and consolidate the foundation of friendship between the two peoples.Editor/Gong Ziwei