Indian, Chinese medics team-up to recreate "Barefoot Doctors"

Ahead of President Xi Jinping's visit to India, a team of Indian and Chinese doctors have jointly launched a medical mission to retrace the spirit of "Barefoot Doctors" first undertaken by legendary Dwarakanath Kotnis during China's revolution headed by Mao Zedong.
'China India Joint Medical Mission' was launched at a ceremony jointly held by The Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and China-India Friendship Association (CIFA) yesterday at Kunming city, to mark the 76th anniversary of Arrival of Aid-China India Medical Mission.
A nine-member delegation of Indian doctors, specialists in ENT and cancer treatment, have joined their Chinese counterparts to treat patients at city, district and village levels for a week in China's Yunnan province.

The joint medical mission, which is the fourth of this kind between the two countries, represents the spirit of the "Barefoot Doctors" undertaken by Dr Kotnis in 1938, K Nagaraj Naidu, Consul General of India in Guangzhou told PTI.
Kotnis, who died treating the injured during the revolution under Mao in China 71 years ago, became an iconic figure for the Chinese.
He treated the injured Chinese soldiers during the 'War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression' (1937-45) and stayed in China until death.

A 400-bed memorial hospital was built in China's Hubei province in his memory.
The delegation includes doctors from Hyderabad, Bangalore and Punjab.

They will join medical specialists from Yunnan and Hebei provinces and visit various health centres and hospitals in and around Kunming in Yunnan province over the next one week.
This year's joint medical mission coincides with the visit of Xi to India beginning from September 17.
Launched in 2008, the joint medical mission dispatches outstanding doctors to give free medical consultations in poorer regions of the two nations, commemorating the spirit of selfless service and dedication demonstrated by Kotnis and other members of the Indian Medical Mission who came to China in 1938.