In the morning of May 6 local time, Premier Li Keqiang and President Mulatu Teshome of Ethiopia went to the Alert Hospital in Addis Ababa and visited the Ethiopian patients who benefited from China's "Bright Journey" program of free cataract surgery.
Upon arrival, the two leaders shook hands with the medical and nursing staff from both China and Ethiopia. They watched the exhibition boards of the "Bright Journey" program, and listened to the introduction.
Since the initiation of "Bright Journey" program in Africa in 2010, China has operated surgeries for over 2,000 African cataract patients successively and helped them restore vision.
Over ten Ethiopian patients were in postoperative recovery in the ophthalmology ward of the hospital. Seeing Chinese Premier's arrival, the patients welcomed him with warm applause. Li Keqiang came to the beds of the patients, shook their hands and asked about their conditions with great care. He removed the gauze from two patients' eyes and sent them flowers to congratulate on their recovery. The patients hugged Li Keqiang tightly with excitement, and they cheered with joy in the ward to express their gratitude.
Li Keqiang said, I just now removed the little barriers from the patients' eyes to help hem restore their vision. It is yet only a symbolic move behind which are the arduous and tremendous efforts made by the medical and nursing staff of the two countries. Over the past half century, the Chinese medical teams have gone deep into 51 African countries, and treated and cured, together with the local African medical workers, over two hundred million person times of African people. I pay my highest tributes to the medical teams for the great love you have brought to Africa, and you are the true envoys of light and angels in white.
Li Keqiang pointed out, China and Africa are brothers sharing weal and woe. In the future, the Chinese government and people will, within their capacity, provide more and better assistance in medical and nursing staff, medical technologies and other aspects for African countries including Ethiopia, and further strengthen the bilateral cooperation in the field of health care so as to benefit more people. He believed that the peoples of China and Ethiopia, as well as China and Africa will join hands and head for a brighter future.
The hospital executives highly appreciated the excellent medical skills and selfless professional dedication of the Chinese medical workers, and thanked them for the welfare they have brought to the patients.
Mulatu extended his heartfelt thanks for the assistance from the Chinese government and people. He said that the "Bright Journey" program embodied the constantly deepening Ethiopia-China friendly cooperation, highlighted the brotherly friendship between the two countries, and has brought the substantial benefits to the Ethiopian people. He hoped that in the future, the two sides will share more experience in health care and other fields, and develop a permanently cooperative relationship.
Premier Li Keqiang's wife Mme. Cheng Hong and President Mulatu's wife Mme. Meazza Abraham were present.