Chinese medical team leaves Haiti for home

A Chinese medical team Monday left the Haitian capital for home after winding up a two-week emergency aid and epidemic control mission in the quake-stricken Caribbean country.

The team, consisting of 40 medical professionals, participated in the relief efforts soon after its arrival here on Jan. 25 and provided medicine supplies and medical equipment for local people.

During its stay, the team has treated more than 4,000 wounded Haitians and played an important role in the medical and epidemic control efforts in the aftermath of the devastating Jan. 12 quake, Liu Wendou, head of the team, told Xinhua.

Members of the team became friends of the Haitians, who are very grateful for the team's efforts and some even burst into tears when seeing off the team, he said.

Li Yuanxin, a gastroenterologist from Nanjing, China, said he feels honored to serve the Haitians, although his team's mission in Haiti was tough and risky.

A magnitude-7.3 tremor on Richter scale hit Haiti on Jan. 12, killing more than 212,000 people and wounding more than 200,000.

The Haitian capital was severely damaged and more than 1 million were left homeless.

Source: Xinhua