A send-off ceremony is held on Friday in Shijiazhuang for the 13th medical team to be sent from Hebei province to Nepal. [Photo by Jin Xiaodan for chinadaily.com.cn]

A 17-member medical team from Hebei province will begin a year of work in Nepal this month under a program that began two decades ago.

The team consists of medical workers from various departments of hospitals in Hebei, including hematology, anesthesiology, pathology, Chinese medicine and gynecology.

The team set off on Friday from Shijiazhuang in Hebei and arrived in Katmandu, Nepal, the next day. They will work at BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital.

The governments of China and Nepal signed a protocol in 1998 for sending Chinese medical teams to Nepal. The task was given to Hebei province.

Starting in 1999, Hebei has sent a total of 228 medical professionals to Nepal. The team is the 13th to be sent, news portal hebei.com.cn reported.