2022年9月26日，我们第32期援桑给巴尔医疗队抵达桑给巴尔。作为队伍里的针灸医生，我在桑给巴尔的纳兹莫加医院的针灸科工作，除了每天的日常门诊工作外，还承担了当地医护人员的针灸教学。
      纳兹莫加医院针灸科的物资主要来自中国捐赠，使用的针具种类较多，因为医疗物资匮乏，很多过期的针具当地针灸科的同事还在使用。当地日照时间长、紫外线强烈，当地人的皮肤较硬，一些老化的针灸针很难刺破当地人的皮肤，给门诊带来了一定的困扰。恰好当时江苏正太集团援建桑给巴尔阿卜杜拉姆才医院的项目即将启动，有一批物资从国内发过来，我就紧急联系医院随正太集团的货柜支援了一批针具，解了燃眉之急。
      桑给巴尔缺乏有效的检验、检查手段，很多疾病的诊断和治疗都需要依靠医生的经验。凯瑟琳（音译）女士是肯尼亚人，嫁到桑岛后在跟随丈夫来到桑岛生活，足部疼痛一年余，到处求医疗效均不理想。起初发病时在肯尼亚某医院就诊，肯尼亚医疗条件较桑岛发达，经过一系列检查后，医生诊断为系统性红斑狼疮，予以相关治疗，凯瑟琳女士服用八种各类药物三个月后无明显疗效，医生重新诊断为纤维肌痛，予以大剂量普瑞巴林（一种神经止痛药）控制症状，一度达到300mg/天，后症状有所好转。搬至桑岛生活后，症状再次加重，但普瑞巴林已达最大剂量，当地医生束手无策。听桑岛的朋友介绍说桑给巴尔有一支中国医疗队，就慕名而来。经过仔细的查体、询问病史，查看相关检验报告单，我认为当地医生的诊断依据并不充分，建议患者拍了腰椎X线，诊断为腰椎滑脱，予以针灸、功能训练指导等处理，一周后患者症状明显好转，药物也逐渐减量。凯瑟琳女士十分激动，表示将和家人永远记得中国医生的帮助。
      援外医疗是一项艰辛的任务，离开了国内的舒适的环境，优秀的团队和高新的设备，需要我们利用有限的资源，最大化的为当地人提供更好的帮助和支持。

Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion cure difficult and complicated diseases​

2022.09.26 Our team arrived in Zanzibar. As an acupuncturist in the team, I mainly performed outpatient work in the acupuncture Department of Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar. In addition to daily outpatient work, I also undertook acupuncture teaching for local medical staff. Go to the countryside to carry out free clinic activities, disseminate medical and health knowledge, and actively improve the local health and medical conditions.
The materials of the acupuncture department of Mnazi Mmoja Hospital are mainly from donations from China, and there are many kinds of needles used, because of the lack of medical supplies, many expired needles are still used by local colleagues in the acupuncture department. The local sunshine time is long, the ultraviolet light is strong, the local people's skin is hard, and some aging acupuncture needles are difficult to Pierce the local people's skin, which has brought certain troubles to the clinic. At that time, the project of Jiangsu Zhengtai Group to assist Zanzibar Abdula muzz Hospital was about to be launched, and a batch of materials came from China, so I contacted our hospital urgently to support a batch of needles along with the container of Zhengtai Group, which alleviated the urgent need.
Zanzibar lacks effective testing and examination means, and the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases rely on the experience of doctors. Ms. Catherine is a Kenyan, married to Zanzibar after her husband came to live in Zanzibar, foot pain for more than a year, everywhere to seek medical treatment is not ideal. After a series of examinations, the doctor diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus and gave relevant treatment. After taking eight kinds of drugs for three months, there was no obvious effect, so the doctor re-diagnosed fibromyalgia and gave large doses of pregabalin (a nerve painkiller) to control the symptoms. Once reached 300mg/day, the symptoms improved. After moving to Zanzibar, the symptoms worsened again, but the pregabalen had reached the maximum dose, and the local doctors were helpless, and they listened to the friends of Zanzibar who introduced that there was a Chinese medical team in Zanzibar. After careful physical examination, medical history inquiry, and examination report, I found that the diagnosis basis of the local doctor was insufficient. The patient was advised to take lumbar spine X-ray, diagnosed with lumbar spondylolisthesis, and was treated with acupuncture and functional training guidance, etc. After a week, the patient's symptoms improved significantly and the amount of drugs was gradually reduced. Ms. Catherine was very excited and said that she and her family will always remember the help of Chinese doctors.
Aid to Africa is a difficult task, leaving the comfortable environment at home, excellent team and high equipment, we need to use limited resources to maximize the local people to provide better help and support.