At the invitation of the World Health Organization (WHO), the China International Medical Emergency Team (Macao) departed for Myanmar yesterday to carry out a 14-day mission focused on post-earthquake emergency medical coordination and technical support.
On March 28, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, causing mass destruction. According to Macau’s Health Bureau, the deployment of the medical team was made at the invitation of the WHO, with the consent from the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, under the coordination of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the Macao SAR, and with the support of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR and the local government.
The team’s main tasks include assessing medical resource gaps in the affected areas, optimizing data coordination processes, providing standardized protocols for trauma care and infectious disease control, and evaluating the feasibility of Myanmar establishing its emergency medical teams, the Health Bureau told Xinhua.
“This mission represents a collaborative effort between the WHO, the Myanmar government, and our team to explore feasible solutions for medical support in the aftermath of the earthquake,” said O Leong, team coordinator and head of international cooperation at the Health Bureau, noting it is the first time Macau has participated in international cooperation in this format.
The China International Medical Emergency Team (Macao) was certified by the WHO in 2019. In 2020, the team joined the national emergency medical rescue team in missions to Algeria and Sudan to assist in the COVID-19 response. – Xinhua
