Li Bin, minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), on behalf of the top health authorities, gave greetings to Chinese medical teams in overseas countries at the beginning of the New Year.

2016 was a fruitful year for China's overseas medical aid programs.

Li thanked Chinese medical teams' contributions to overseas medical aid in the past year. Chinese medical teams combined medical services with medical exchanges, using standardized and advanced medical skills to improve health conditions for people in recipient countries.

Li said in her greeting letter that in 2016 the Chinese medical teams set up cooperative relationship with 10 countries' counterpart hospitals and carried out maternal and child health demonstration projects in four countries. The Chinese medical teams implemented free cataract surgeries in many Asian and African countries, bringing light to more than 5,000 patients.

During the past year, the Chinese medical team effectively responded to overseas public health emergencies and actively treated UN's injured peacekeepers, playing important roles in safeguarding people's health.

Chinese medical staff's superb medical skills and professionalism won the respect and praise of people around the globe.

Li said that the Chinese medical teams will strengthen exchanges and cooperation efforts with the people and medical staff of recipient countries in 2017. They will work to fulfill President Xi Jinping's promise of Chinese foreign aid that he made at the summit of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.

At the end of the greeting letter, Li gave heartfelt wishes to the Chinese medical teams who stuck to their posts in foreign countries during the Spring Festival.