Charm of people-to-people communication

Walking into Hulhumale Hospital, Maldives, a small white building is particularly eye-catching. A line of text on a golden plaque on the wall of the hall reveals the identity of the building: Dr. N D Abdullah Abdul Hakeem Ophthalmology Center.

It is established with the generous assistance of the government of the People's Republic of China, and officially opened on January 13, 2020, by His Excellency Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, President of the Republic of Maldives, said the plaque.

On the opposite side of the plaque is a row of roll-up banners, with Chinese smiling faces and concise words, introducing the members of the medical expert team sent to the hospital by China.

Around 3 p.m., two local nurses were busy recording information at the nurses' desk, and dozens of patients were waiting to be called. Dr. Xiang Wu from Zhongshan Ophthalmology Center of Sun Yat-Sen University in China was instilling eye drops to dilate the pupils of patients who needed laser eye surgery. Xiang then returned to the consulting room for medical treatment, and instructed local doctors on how to diagnose, almost running all the way.

"Many patients have waited for a long time, some even for several years, to see Chinese doctors. We try our best to treat patients, and reduce their pain," Xiang said. While speaking, he was called into another consulting room where a Maldivian doctor preparing for a laser treatment was waiting for his guidance.

Three years ago, Professor Chen Weirong from Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center led a medical expert team to the Maldives with a full set of ophthalmic diagnosis and treatment equipment. They established a modernized and standardized ophthalmology center in Hulhumale Hospital as a Belt and Road Initiative(BRI) project.

Affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, the project was temporarily suspended until Chen came to the Maldives again three years later. The project was re-launched on Feb. 11, 2023, when Vice President of the Maldives Faisal Naseem and other dignitaries attended the ceremony.

The 77-year-old Hassan Adam is a patient of Chen's who got cataract surgery on one eye in 2020. Now he came to see Chen again, asking for an operation on the other eye.
"During these three years, he had been to India, Sri Lanka, and other places for treatment, but no operation," Chen said.

"It was worth waiting for three years. Chinese doctors are not only highly skilled, but also kind and considerate of patients," said Adam who stood in front of the roll-up banner bearing the photo and a profile of Chen, hoping to take a picture with the doctor.

According to Chen, during the second phase of the project, short-term experts from China will carry out overall project management, while medium- and long-term experts will perform specific tasks such as treatment and training. Two doctors and a nurse currently in the Maldives will work at the center for 6 months.

"In the short term, while the team is here working in the Maldives, our local doctors are getting exposed to this experience, so they work together as a team. Six months later, our local doctors will go to China and work in a more sophisticated environment there," said Dr.Shah Abdullah Mahir, Minister of State for Health of the Maldives, in an interview at his office.

Like the China-Maldives International Ophthalmology Center project, since the implementation of BRI, many Chinese-aided projects have taken root in the Maldives.
"BRI facilitated some key projects to lift ourselves from where we were, including the bridge, the new international airport, and other major connectivity projects. It also opened up opportunities for the private sector and enhanced tourism between our two countries," said Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, the mayor of the Maldives' capital city Malé who used to be the Minister of State for National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure of the country.

"Our peoples have interacted on many levels. We enjoy frequent travel to and from our countries. Trade and tourism have been on the rise. As the mayor of the capital city, I am proud that we have sister city ties with more Chinese cities," Muizzu added.

During my stay in the Maldives, I got chances to talk with many local people about the BRI projects. Mohammad Shiyam, a grocery store owner, was one of them.
The Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 wiped out his shop and caused a loss of more than 2 million rufiyaa (about $130,300). After these years of unremitting efforts, he and his family reopened the shop, welcomed more and more Chinese tourists, and witnessed the operation and development of many BRI projects in the Maldives.

Shiyam is eager to embrace his future life. "I have a grand plan to build an eight-story building that uses materials from China, to make Chinese guests feel at home," he said.

Mr. Niansheng ZHANG, is bureau chief of Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau of People’s Daily, China, based in Bangkok, Thailand. From 2015 to 2020, he worked in Washington DC as Bureau Chief of the North American Regional Bureau, People’s Daily. Before that he was deputy director with International News Department of People’s Daily successively in charge of international editorial, night shift editing, International Weekly and daily planning of international news reporting. He worked in Europe for ten years, including five years as a correspondent in the Nordic region, and later as chief correspondent in European Union for People’s Daily. He is the author of the book called Nordic Countries in Our Eyes.