Mu Jianjun, (M) the Economic and Commercial Affairs Counselor in the Chinese embassy attends a group photo with China medical team and staff of Juba Teaching Hospital on Wednesday.

The fourth Chinese language bridge course for medical staff in Juba Teaching Hospital commenced on Wednesday, attracting about 100 students eager to learn and exploit opportunities that come with learning Mandarin.

Isaac Maker, Medical Director of Juba Teaching Hospital encouraged the students during the opening ceremony in Juba to learn one of the most important languages in the world.

He disclosed that fluency in Chinese language would open up opportunities for medical practitioners to further their studies and acquire new knowledge, under the people-to-people exchange program being currently implemented by the Chinese and South Sudan governments.

“I would like to express my sincere thanks to the work being done by the Chinese doctors in Juba Teaching Hospital, they are really helping the people of South Sudan and I thank the Chinese government for sending doctors here and across Africa,” Maker said.

Gift Gibson Natana, Deputy Director General of Juba Teaching Hospital, noted that learning Chinese language presents opportunity for enhancing career development for medical practitioners at the hospital.

“Language is a bridge that connects people when you know the language it is easier for you to relate with the other person, and it is easier for you to know the opportunities and to be able to exploit them. When we speak about language, we are also speaking about economic opportunities here for you as an individual,” Natana said.

Natana said that the People’s Republic of China has been a committed supporter to the ministry of health, adding that this has particularly, been manifested through the completion of Phase I project for the expansion and modernization of Juba Teaching Hospital.

Phase II of the expansion and modernization of the main referral hospital has already commenced.

Mu Jianjun, the Counselor for Economic and Commercial Affairs at the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan, said the Chinese language and Chinese traditional culture have been warmly welcomed by the local people in South Sudan.

“In the wake of the strong national power of China and more international exchanges and cooperation with the world in recent years, Chinese language has become extremely popular in many countries and foreign friends pay more attention to Chinese learning,” Mu said.

The Chinese government also runs a Chinese language and culture center at Juba Day Secondary School in the capital.

Mu noted that the Chinese language aims to help the staff of Juba Teaching Hospital to better communicate with the Chinese medical team, understand the Chinese language and culture, and deepen the friendship between China and South Sudan.

“The Chinese medical team has been known and loved by more and more people in South Sudan. The second phase of the Juba Teaching Hospital project, built with China’s assistance, was officially opened on Monday, marking another milestone project in China-South Sudan medical and healthcare co-operation,” he said.

Chen Si, team leader of eleventh batch of China medical team said that the Chinese language course aims at deepening mutual understanding and enhance the friendship between the two countries and peoples.

“Through this cultural exchange, we hope our colleagues here can have a basic understanding of China, especially for those who are about to visit China for further training, let them get familiar with China in advance,” Chen said.

He noted that the fourth Chinese language bridge course will see students attend two lessons each week from July to August 2024.

Chen disclosed that they have provided regular training schedule for each student that covers food, music, sport and other aspects during the program.

Since 2021, the medical staff of Juba Teaching Hospital have been attending Chinese language classes.