BEIRUT, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese medical unit of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) organized on Saturday a medical day for local civilians in southern Lebanon.
Li Ruzhen, head of the Chinese medical unit, said that the medical day aims at offering medical treatments for patients in the framework of the humanitarian services provided by the Chinese peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon.
"Medical services given in Ibl al-Saqi town today covered different aspects, including general medicine, blood pressure, heart, veins, ear, nose, throat, and skin treatments in addition to the blood test and electrocardiography for those who need it," Li told Xinhua.
Li, who actively supervises different examination rooms, said that mobile medical clinics also offer treatment for people of different ages, suffering from regular seasonal illnesses and chronic diseases.
Li explained that the medical team for the medical day consists of 13 doctors and five nurses, and the Chinese field hospital in Marjeyoun provides medical services to patients of UNIFIL soldiers and Lebanese civilians.
He noted that the Chinese medical unit has treated 92 civilian patients during the medical day and provided them with the necessary medicines and assured patients with chronic diseases that the clinics of the Chinese military hospital would follow up on their cases.
Samih Al Bikai, head of the Ibl al-Saqi municipality, said that the Chinese medical unit has demonstrated its full commitment to offering the best possible support for civilians in this area.
He added that this medical activity is the second for the Chinese medical unit in Ibl al-Saqi in less than a month, where they offered the necessary treatment and medications for tens of citizens who cannot afford to be treated.
"We must express our sincere love and gratitude to the Chinese contingent in UNIFIL, which has gained the trust of civil society in the villages of the south as a result of its support and assistance," he said.
He pointed out that the municipality offered a shield of appreciation to the medical staff in the Chinese field hospital to express appreciation for its services.
Waiting rooms at Ibl al-Saqi's clinic witnessed on Saturday the attendance of tens of citizens who are waiting for their turns to receive medical treatments offered by the Chinese medical team.
"I have been waiting for the Chinese medical day and the visit of the Chinese medical team who has given me the necessary treatment for my case in addition to free medications," said 65-year-old Wahida Monzer, a citizen who has been suffering from diabetes and hypertension for over 25 years.
"I want to thank the Chinese medical team who is doing its job very seriously and carefully in this clinic, which covers most of the specialties while saving us from the trouble of going to private clinics which we cannot afford in some cases," she said.
Adel Al Abdallah, a 75-year-old who has been suffering from disc injury for more than 20 years, expressed appreciation and gratitude for the Chinese unit, which has provided him with the needed treatment by using modern medical equipment and offering him free medicines.
"We will never forget the services provided by the Chinese battalion, and we appreciate very much what China is offering us," he said.
Meanwhile, Jamila Homaydan, a women in her 60s from Al Wazzani village, said she found the proper treatment for her weak vision problems at the Chinese clinic.
"Chinese equipment used to test people's vision are very advanced and modern and I feel very comfortable for all the care I am receiving here," she said.
The UNIFIL's Chinese peacekeeping force has been deployed in southern Lebanon since 2006.
Their operational and humanitarian tasks include medical services, support for UNIFIL's freedom of movement, demining and disposal of unexploded ordnance, construction of UNIFIL protection facilities, road construction and rehabilitation of schools and kindergartens in the border area.
The 18th batch of Chinese peacekeepers, which comprises 410 troops led by Colonel Gao Chaoning, is bringing about 6,000 Chinese troops to peacekeeping missions in southern Lebanon.
The UNIFIL has been operating in southern Lebanon since 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
The UNIFIL was further reinforced in 2006 under the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 which ended Israel's 2006 war against Lebanon.
The resolution also called for Israel to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon in conjunction with the reinforcement of the deployment of UNIFIL and the Lebanese army in the southern region of the Litani River.
At present, the UNIFIL has some 10,267 troops from 43 countries.