Mission completed, Shandong medical team returns home from UK

Liu Xiaoming, China’s ambassador to the UK, sees off medical workers from Shandong on April 2. [Photo/Xinhua]

A special medical team landed at Yaoqiang International Airport in Jinan, Shandong province, on the morning of April 3, returning from their five-day mission to help with the COVID-19 situation in the United Kingdom.

The team of 15 experts was dispatched by the provincial government to support Chinese citizens overseas, introduce anti-epidemic experience to local health authorities, and offer guidance and consultation service.

According to Chinese embassy in the UK, from March 28 to April 2, the team organized six consolation activities for Chinese students, overseas Chinese, and Chinese-invested agencies to solve their concerns and distribute medical supplies.

The team also used video meetings to provide online diagnosis for over 2,600 Chinese students and shared Shandong’s anti-epidemic practices with the Department of Health and Social Care, the foreign affairs bureau of Scotland, and England’s deputy chief medical officer.

A member of the medical team offloads medical supplies at Heathrow Airport in London on March 28. [Photo/Xinhua]

The team also brought with them 17.5 tons of medical and related supplies including face masks, health packets, clinical thermometers, nucleic acid detection kits, breathing machines, and handbooks on containing the coronavirus.

To provide stronger care and support, another 30.5 tons of donations from Shandong will arrive on two chartered flights in a week while universities in Shandong will partner with their UK counterparts and launch online consultation platforms.