Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi received the Chinese doctors at the airport. (Photo: Ding Xuezhen)
Islamabad (People’s Daily) – A Chinese medical team arrived in Pakistan on a chartered flight Saturday afternoon as part of extensive efforts to support Pakistan’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The chartered flight arrived at Islamabad International Airport on Saturday. (Photo: Ding Xuezhen)
Welcoming the Chinese medical team at the Islamabad International Airport, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed his gratitude to the Chinese government and people for the heart-warming assistance from the “Iron Brother” on behalf of the Pakistani government.
Airport staff unload medical supplies donated by China to Pakistan. (Photo: Ding Xuezhen)
“We have stood by you, and you’re standing with us. So, this challenge has brought the peoples of China and Pakistan even closer,” the foreign minister told People’s Daily in an interview.
Airport staff unload medical supplies donated by China to Pakistan. (Photo: Ding Xuezhen)
Praising China for its effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic in a “phenomenal” way in spite of great challenges, the foreign minister said that Pakistan has learnt from Chinese experience and that “the unity, discipline and courage shown by the Chinese people and the coordination of different organizations is what was very admirable.”
Airport staff unload medical supplies donated by China to Pakistan. (Photo: Ding Xuezhen)
Consisting of 8 experts in respiratory diseases, critical care medicine, clinical nursing, laboratory medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, the team was formed by the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Health Commission under the organization of China's National Health Commission.
(Photo: Ding Xuezhen)
According to the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, the medical team plans to share China’s practices in pandemic control, clinical treatment and laboratory work with local doctors and provide relevant advice to the Pakistani government.
Executive Director of Pakistan’s National Institute of Health Major General Aamer Ikram expressed his gratitude to the Chinese medical team for their assistance at the critical moment. (Photo: Ding Xuezhen)
The chartered flight also brought in medical supplies donated by China to Pakistan, including over 100,000 disposable medical masks, 10,000 N95 masks, 5,000 medical protective clothes, 12 ventilators, 5 defibrillator monitors, 10,000 test kits and various medicines for treating COVID-19 patients.
According to data published by Pakistani health authorities, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan climbed to 1495 on Saturday, with 12 dead, 7 in critical condition and 25 recovered.