The Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. /CMG
Tanzania's Zanzibari President Hussein Ali Mwinyi awarded members of the 33rd batch of the Chinese medical team medals and commemorative certificates in recognition of their contribution to Tanzania's medical and health undertakings.
The awarding ceremony was held Monday at the Zanzibar State House at the end of the team's one-year medical services in the Indian Ocean islands.
Mwinyi thanked the Chinese government for its outstanding contributions to Zanzibar's medical service and healthcare over the past 60 years and highly praised the Chinese medical team's hard work and selfless dedication. Mwinyi said the Chinese medical team used advanced medical technology to treat local patients and actively trained local medical students and doctors to reserve talent to develop Zanzibar's medical sector.
He said Chinese doctors made extraordinary contributions to developing minimally invasive laparoscopic technology in Zanzibar, enabling local doctors to make a qualitative leap in laparoscopic technology from scratch.
Jiang Guoqing, chief of the medical team, said the Chinese medical team will continue to strengthen health cooperation and exchanges with Zanzibar, provide high-quality medical services to the locals, and contribute more to the China-Africa friendship.
The 33rd batch of the Chinese medical team arrived in Zanzibar in September last year, treated nearly 40,000 outpatients, and held 20 large-scale free clinics.
China began sending medical teams to Zanzibar in 1964. Source(s): Xinhua News Agency
The families of the Nottingham knife attack victims have said they were “very upset” when the killer’s brother sent them an apologetic letter.
James Coates, whose father Ian Coates was killed by Valdo Calocane in Nottingham last year, said he received a letter from Calocane’s brother Elias “months ago” in which he offered condolences and apologised.
Mr Coates said it “wasn’t the right time” and the other families of the victims were “very upset that this letter had been passed on to them”.
Calocane killed Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19-year-old students, as they returned from a night out in June last year, before killing Mr Coates, a 65-year-old school caretaker on his way to work.
He then stole a van and crashed into three other people, who were seriously injured.
James Coates told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We’ve received a letter months ago from his brother but it wasn’t the right time and it has fallen on deaf ears.
“Me and my brother Lee read it, but I know the other families had not read it at the time and were very upset that this letter had been passed on to them.
“Since then a few of them have read it but I’m pretty sure there’s a couple of the family members who just don’t think they could ever bring themselves to read this letter.”
He continued: “It was basically offering condolences and apologising for what happened and saying they can’t imagine what we’ve gone through.”
A report by the health watchdog revealed that Calocane, a paranoid schizophrenic, was sectioned under the Mental Health Act four times before NHS services lost track of him and then discharged him.
Speaking to Emma Barnett, the Today presenter, Mr Coates said: “[Calocane] knew what he was doing and his family have still got him, they can still speak to him on the phone.”
He added: “I can’t ring my dad. I can send him a message but it will bounce back because his phone is not in use anymore.
“I will never be able to see my father again. My child will never be able to see my father again.
“Grace and Barnaby’s parents will never see their child grow up, because the NHS and the police and the Calocane family didn’t do enough.”
More than a year on from the killings, James Coates said he still messages his father’s phone.
He said: “I felt I wanted to keep that up as a way to speak to him. I continued to send him messages on Father’s Day and my birthday and, as time went on, his funeral, but it got to a point where the messages were bouncing back because his phone was not in use anymore.
“I did continue to send the messages knowing full well they will bounce back.”
Calocane’s family spoke for the first time during a BBC Panorama that aired this week, saying they also wanted answers and a public inquiry into the failings of the care he received.
Emma Webber, the mother of victim Barnaby, told the The Telegraph’s Daily T Podcast that the programme “wasn’t balanced enough” and ignored evidence of Calocane’s “insight and his ability to make judgments”. By Albert Tait, Telegraph / Yahoo News
The Defence Headquarters, DHQ, has said troops eliminated 106 terrorists, apprehended 164 others and rescued 103 hostages in different operations across the country in the last week.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, made this known on Thursday in Abuja while giving an update on the operations of the military across the country.
Buba said the troops recovered 125 assorted weapons and 1,522 ammunition, comprising 41 AK47 rifles, one PKT gun, 24 locally fabricated guns, 28 Dane guns and one pump action gun.
He said the troops also recovered 755 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 623 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 102 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm, 63 live cartridges and 247 empty cases of 7.62mm ammo.
“Others are, 22 AK47 magazines, one Baofeng radio, 22 vehicles, 31 motorcycles, two bicycles, 10 mobile phones and the sum of N2.9 amongst other items,’’ he said.
In the North East, Buba said the troops of Operation Hadin Kai recorded successes leading to the surrendering of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists and their families within the week.
He said a total of 1,760 BH/ISWAP terrorist fighters and family members of 117 male adults, 345 adult females and 628 children surrendered within the week.
According to him, troops neutralised 41 terrorists, arrested 27 suspects and rescued 16 kidnapped hostages as well as recovered a cache of arms and ammunition.
In the North Central, Buba said the troops of Operations Safe Haven and Whirl Stroke, eliminated 12 insurgents, arrested 39 violent extremists and rescued 39 kidnapped hostages within the week.
He said the troops also recovered several arms and ammunition, comprising 21 AK47 rifles, 14 fabricated pistols, 15 Dane guns, 285 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, and 200 rounds of 7.62mm NATO.
In the North West, Buba said the troops of Operation Hadarin Daji, neutralised 22 terrorists, arrested 23 terrorists and rescued 32 kidnapped hostages and recovered a cache of arms.
Under Operation Whirl Punch, he said the troops neutralised eight terrorists, arrested 20 suspects and rescued 12 kidnapped hostages as well as recovered arms and the sum of N2.9 million amongst others.
In the Niger Delta, Buba said the troops of Operation Delta Safe, had maintained momentum against the activities of crude oil thieves, destroying several illegal refining sites and recovered stolen products.
He said the troops recovered 802,200 litres of stolen crude oil, 121,900 litres of illegally refined AGO and 450 litres of DPK within the week.
According to him, troops discovered and destroyed 20 dugout pits, 24 boats and 34 storage tanks, as well as recovered 56 cooking ovens, two speedboats, 14 pumping machines, 18 drums, 22 vehicles and motorcycles.
He added that a total of 36 illegal refining sites were destroyed while a total of 32 suspected oil thieves and other violent extremists were apprehended in the region.
In the South East, the defence spokesman said the troops of Operation UDO KA neutralised three terrorists, arrested 22 violent extremists and rescued four kidnapped hostages.
“Troops recovered one pump action gun, 31 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 23 cartridges, one baofeng radio, and six mobile phones amongst others.
“All recovered items, arrested suspects and rescued hostages were handed over to the relevant authority for further action,’’ he said. By Matthew Atungwu, Daily Post
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