From Trainee to Clinic Owner: Chinese Medical Aid Team Fosters Growth of Local TCM Talent
By Hong Yuanyuan
October 31, 2025 – Exciting news came from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Center at the China-Sierra Leone Friendship Hospital: Umarr H Bangs, an outstanding trainee cultivated by the Center, upon completing his studies, sincerely invited his Chinese mentors—doctors from the Chinese Medical Team—to visit his own clinic. Together, they also conducted a “First Responder” first aid training for the community. This event not only showcased the fruitful results of medical exchanges between China and Sierra Leone but also highlighted the vitality and dynamism of systematic TCM training taking root in Africa.
As one of the first local trainees to systematically receive TCM training at the TCM Center, Umarr H Bangs, under the careful guidance of the TCM section teachers from the medical team, thoroughly mastered basic TCM theory, meridian and acupoint knowledge, and practical acupuncture techniques. Through long-term apprenticeship in the TCM outpatient clinic, he accumulated rich clinical experience. After completing his training, he confidently established his own clinic in the community, successfully integrating TCM concepts with local healthcare realities to form a treatment system specializing in acupuncture for pain management and post-stroke rehabilitation.
Today, Umarr’s clinic has taken initial shape: the environment is clean and bright, and patient flow is orderly. Every day, patients come seeking help—some looking for relief from neck, shoulder, lower back, or leg pain, others hoping for post-stroke rehabilitation through TCM, and local women wishing to regulate their constitution with TCM methods. Amid the flicker of silver needles, patients’ smiles and trust become the best testament to the efficacy of TCM. Local residents praise this “magical therapy” from the East and affectionately call Umarr the “Acupuncture Doctor.”
Captain Liu Longfei of the 26th Chinese (Hunan) Medical Team to Sierra Leone attended the event and delivered a speech. Captain Liu pointed out: “It is gratifying to see trainee Umarr skillfully applying the acquired TCM knowledge in clinical practice with remarkable results. This fully demonstrates that the TCM foreign aid project promoted by the Chinese government is bearing fruit in Sierra Leone. The medical team consistently upholds the philosophy of ‘teaching a man to fish,’ committed to cultivating more excellent local medical talents and building a ‘medical team that never leaves’ for Sierra Leone.”
During the event, medical team experts observed the diagnosis and treatment processes and conducted acupuncture demonstrations and health guidance for some patients. Guo Jianjun, Director of the TCM Center, emphasized: “For TCM to go global, it relies not only on efficacy but also on cultural dissemination. Only by truly understanding the essence of ‘treatment based on syndrome differentiation’ can TCM truly take root in Africa.” He spoke highly of the standardized management, proficient skills, and continuous stream of patients at Umarr’s clinic, considering it a full embodiment of the core value of foreign medical aid work.
Beyond professional exchange, the medical team also conducted “First Responder” first aid training for the medical staff at Bangs’ clinic and community residents. Through systematic explanations of basic first aid knowledge and skills, they further enhanced the local community’s ability to handle emergencies, demonstrating the Chinese medical team’s comprehensive care philosophy in promoting community health.
Umarr H Bangs expressed his excitement: “I thank the Chinese medical team and Teacher Guo for their selfless guidance. It is TCM knowledge that has revitalized my clinic and enabled me to better alleviate the illnesses of my compatriots. I will continue striving to be an envoy spreading TCM culture.”
For years, the Chinese (Hunan) Medical Team to Sierra Leone has continuously provided medical technical support and talent cultivation for Sierra Leone. The TCM Center at the China-Sierra Leone Friendship Hospital, as an important platform, continually trains localized TCM talents. The successful practice of trainee Umarr H Bangs stands as the most vivid footnote in this project of China-Sierra Leone friendship, showcasing the broad prospects for TCM’s development on the African continent.
