口ByGeLijun
ChinesedoctorstakeacupuncturetoDRCwithgratifyingresults
Since1973,HebeiProvincehastakenchargeofprovidingmedicalassistanceinZaire.Morethan400doctorshavebeensentover33years,exceptfornineyearswhenitwassuspendedduetowar.
NiuZhiwen,DirectoroftheInternationalCooperationDepartment,HealthandFamilyPlanningCommissionofHebei
WhenChineseacupuncturistLiuJiangui
arrivedintheDemocraticRepublicoftheCongo(DRC)-atthattimecalledtheRepublicofZaire-hehadnoinklingthatthiswaswherehewouldfindrenownandrespectoneday.
Itwas1981andLiu,whousedtoworkattheHebeiGeneralHospitalinnorthChina,hadgonetotheCentralAfricancountrywithotherdoctorsaspartofaChinesemedicalteam.Liu,then35,becamewell-knownafterhecuredthemilitarycommanderofEquateur,aprovinceinthenorth,ofsevereskinulcer,usingtraditionalChinesemedicine(TCM).
Pin-pointtherapy
LiuhadbeendeputedtotheGeneralHospitalofGemena,1,000kmawayfromcapitalcityKinshasa.Despitethedifficultworkingconditionsandcommunicationproblems,hedevotedhimselftoworkassoonashearrivedthere.Basedonthelocalpeople’sphysiologicalcharacteristicsandlocalclimaticconditions,hecameupwithasetofTCMtherapiestocurecommondiseases.
Oneday,themilitarycommandercametoseehimforchroniclegulcer.Thedoctorhadrealizedthatthehotandhumidweathermadepeoplevulnerabletotheinfection.Aftercleaningtheinfectedarea,heusedacupuncturetoremovethetoxicpusthathadaccumulatedinthevisitor’sleg.Afterseveralroundsoftreatment,thecommander’sleghealedandhebecamedeeplyimpressedwithacupuncture,findingitmiraculous.
SoonotherlocalresidentswerecomingtoLiutohavetheirchronicdiseasestreatedwithacupuncture.Inthefirsttwoyears,Liuandhiscolleaguesattendedtoover10,000peopleattheoutpatientdepartment,performed3,600operations,andgaveemergencytreatmentto530patients.
SoonthenewsabouttheyoungChinesedoctorwithamazinghealingskillsreachedtheearsofthenPresidentMobutuSeseSeko,whoaskedLiutoworkforhisgovernment.“ThepresidentbegantohireChinesedoctorsfromourmedicalteam.Previously,hewouldchooseonlyEuropeanorIsraelidoctors,”LiutoldChinAfrica.Liuwasentrustedwithtreatingthepresidentandhisfamily,aswellashigh-rankinggovernmentofficials.
TCMwinsdisciples
ThelocaldoctorsattheGeneralHospitalofGemenawereimpressedbyLiu’sabilitytocurediseasesandsavepatients’liveswithjustafewneedles.Someofthedoctorswantedtolearnacupuncture.MuyekeThéo,whoworkedwithLiuinthesameoffice,wasoneofthem.
“TheinterpreterinthemedicalteamtaughtChinesetolocalpeoplewhowantedtolearnthelanguageandItaughtThéoacupuncture,”Liusaid.“Atthattime,everyonewaseagertolearnandtheatmospherewasprettygood.”
Afteraperiodofintenselearning,ThéocoulddoacupunctureonhisownwhenLiuwenttoKinshasaonbusinesstrips.In2007,ThéowastransferredtotheTCMDepartmentoftheN’DjiliSinoCongoleseFriendshipHospitalinKinshasa,whereheplayedakeyroleintreatingpatientswithacupuncture.
Alocalnursingschoolgraduate,knownonlyasDonba,wasanotherexample.Smartandkeentolearn,hebecameLiu’sassistant.EverytimeLiuperformedacupunctureonapatient,Donbawouldwritedownthetreatmentmethodassiduously.
“OnceIinjuredmyrighthandinanaccident,”Liurecalledamemorableexperience.“Donbawasstandingbesideme,holdingtheplateofneedles.Ipointedouttohimanacupointonthepatient’sbodyandheinsertedtheneedle.Thepatientwascured.”
“IlikedtheyoungmanwiththestudiousfaceandtaughthimeverythingIknew.Helearnedfastandsoonbecamemyright-handman.”
LiucanalsoneverforgetMpovaAlphons,areputedCongolesedoctorwhowasgoodatbothChineseandacupuncture.AlphonsbeganlearningacupuncturefromChinesedoctorssincethetimeHebeiProvincesentthefirstChinesemedicalteamtoZairein1973.HeevenstudiedattheLiaoningUniversityofTCMinShenyang,acityinnortheastChina,forthreeyears.
ThediligentAlphonstookacupuncturetomoreCongolese.HeworkedwiththeChinesemedicalteamforalmost40years,andcontinuedtotreatpatientslateraswellthoughhesufferedfromhealthproblems.
TheChinesemedicalteamsavedhislifeseveraltimeswhenhewascriticallyill.Hediedathomein2015afterfailingtogettimelyemergencytreatment.Themedicalteamhelpedwithhisfuneralandgavefinancialassistancetohisfamily.