A new Chinese medical team will replace the one currently working in Seychelles since 1985 in the coming weeks, said a Chinese diplomat on Tuesday.

The rotation will coincide with the 60th anniversary of China dispatching its first medical aid team abroad.

As a South-South cooperation project, China began to send a medical team to Seychelles in 1985 and over the past 38 years, 18 batches of 108 Chinese doctors from Shandong Province have been serving Seychellois patients with their medical expertise.

The Chinese Chargé d'Affaires to Seychelles, Mu Jianfeng said in a press conference that with Seychelles included, "at the moment, the China medical aid teams are now working at 115 sites in 56 countries, of which many are in remote areas with harsh conditions."

"We send professionals according to the Ministry of Health's needs," said Jianfeng.

In the past two years, the 18th medical team has done a lot of work that has helped thousands of Seychellois, as well as strongly supported Seychelles in its efforts to fight against COVID-19.

The head of the China medical team, Xu Fengqiang, said that "looking back on the last two years, our successful cooperation has been a treasure for both Seychelles and China."

Among those sent to the western Indian Ocean archipelago were cardiologists, orthopaedists, radiologists, and acupuncturists.

Fengqiang, a cardiologist, recounted how he helped a lifeguard "who was so thankful that he gave me a cap and a t-shirt when he met me in town."

"We have learned from each other, appreciated each other, and formed a strong bond that will last beyond our time here," he added.

The medical team also reminisced about the patients they have helped over the years and how they will take the "memories with them".

The six members of the Chinese medical team who have been in Seychelles for the last two years leave the country at the end of the month.