In 1994, the Chinese and the Maltese Governments jointly set up the Mediterranean Regional Centre for Traditional Chinese Medicine (MRCTCM) in Malta. This landmark achievement marked the establishment of the first-ever Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Centre not only in the Mediterranean region but also across European countries.

Following its success, in 2000, a TCM clinic was established in Gozo General Hospital, Malta. Every Wednesday, a doctor from the MRCTCM visits the Gozo clinic to provide medical services. Later on, in 2008, a TCM clinic was established at Mater Dei Hospital. On average, nearly 20 patients are treated at the clinic every day.

At the MRCTCM, doctors employ various methods such as acupuncture, tuina therapy, cupping, and ear pressure to treat patients. These approaches have proven to be highly effective in addressing conditions including neck, shoulder, waist, and leg pain, insomnia, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, infertility, and other diseases.

The 13th China Medical Team to Malta practising Tai Chi.

Over the years, the MRCTCM has held dozens of acupuncture training courses, with students coming from Malta, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Serbia and others. China Medical Teams have also organised training courses for Tai Chi, Baduanjin, and other exercises, along with academic seminars, facilitating the exchange between Chinese and Western medicine. Moreover, they have conducted lectures on popular science knowledge of TCM, health consultations, and cultural experience activities in schools, communities, and nursing homes.

Up to now, the Chinese Government has sent 108 medical team members via 18 delegations to Malta, treating nearly 250,000 patients in total. The Chinese voluntary program to Malta has never ceased even during the strike of the pandemic COVID-19.

The 18th China Medical Team to Malta with the President of Malta, George Vella and his wife, Miriam Vella.

This year, the 18th China Medical Team is commemorating the 60th anniversary of China sending its first medical aid team abroad, as well as the 30th anniversary of China dispatching its first medical team to Malta. The current team consists of four doctors - Dr. Dong Xiaoyan, Dr. Xing Xuemei, Dr. Shi Xinying, Dr. Zhang Yilong, an interpreter, Mr. Wu Shijie and a chef, Mr. Bao Xiaolei.

On noticing a high demand for the treatment of insomnia, a specialised clinic for insomnia was established at the MRCTCM in April 2023, offering TCM treatment for sleep disorders.

Besides its other commitments, between 2022 and 2023, the 18th China Medical Team carried out clinical teaching at MRCTCM, held lectures on TCM culture for students at the University of Malta and St. Margaret College Secondary School, and provided free clinical services to elderly residents at the Local Councils of Paola, Senglea and Żejtun. Moreover, a visiting group of nearly 40 middle school students from Luxembourg and Germany visited the MRCTCM to have a close understanding of the TCM culture and experience its charm.

This year, one of the Chinese doctors went to the University of Porto in Portugal to carry out academic lectures on TCM for the first time. In the future, the MRCTCM aims to establish partnerships with universities and international schools in Luxembourg, Belgium, and other countries. As a Centre based in Malta, the MRCTCM intends to expand its reach to other European nations, contributing to the internationalisation of TCM.

Wei Han, the interpreter of the 13th China Medical Team to Malta explaining the benefits of Chinese herbal teas at the Gozo General Hospital.

The current 18th China Medical Team will conclude its mission this September when a new Chinese Medical Team will take over the TCM services at MRCTCM.

Nearly 250,000 patients in 30 years were treated at the Mediterranean Regional Centre for Traditional Chinese Medicine in Malta

A new chapter of traditional friendship and health cooperation

A message by Mr Yu Dunhai, Ambassador of China to Malta

This year marks the 60th anniversary of China dispatching its first medical team abroad. Over the past 60 years, China has sent a total of 30,000 medical team members to 76 countries and regions around the world, treating 290 million patients, training more than 20,000 local medical personnel, and winning a wide reputation from the international community.

This year also marks the 30th anniversary of China dispatching its first medical team to Malta. In 1993, the first China medical team arrived in Malta. In 1994, China and Malta signed a cooperation agreement in the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and the Mediterranean Regional Centre for Traditional Chinese Medicine (MRCTCM) was officially established, ushering in a new era of medical cooperation between China and Malta.

Over the past 30 years, the flower of China-Malta cooperation in the field of health has been continuously flourishing. The China Medical Teams to Malta have set up TCM clinics in Paola, Mater Dei Hospital and Gozo General Hospital. With more than 100 medical team members from Jiangsu Province, China has treated nearly 250,000 local patients through acupuncture, tuina therapy and other TCM treatments. Each China Medical Team has also dedicated itself to demonstrating the charm of TCM to more people through activities such as free clinics, training programs and lectures.  

Over the past 30 years, the friendly relationship between China and Malta has been strengthened through health cooperation. The doctors of the China Medical Team to Malta carried forward the spirit of the China Medical Team, featuring no fear of hardships, the willingness to dedicate themselves, saving lives with great love and practical actions, establishing a deep friendship with local patients and working partners, and becoming a great example of China-Malta friendship and people-to-people exchanges.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malta, the two countries have always respected each other and treated each other as equals. The relationship between the two countries has developed steadily, political mutual trust has continued to deepen, economic cooperation has achieved fruitful results, and cultural exchanges have also been impressive.

As President Xi Jinping said during the telephone conversation with President George Vella, China and Malta are old and good friends that have stood the test of time. The Chinese people love peace and cherish lives, and this is vividly illustrated by their efforts in international medical assistance. It is believed that with the support of the two governments and friends from all walks of life, the China Medical Team to Malta will continuously provide high-level treatment services, and the cooperation in the medical field between China and Malta will achieve more mutually beneficial and win-win results. China and Malta will continue to compose a new chapter of friendship and development.

Excerpts from essays participating in the MRCTCM Essay Contest to commemorate its 30th anniversary

Dr Yang Xiaoming, a doctor of the 13th China Medical Team to Malta showing the tuina therapy.

Sr.  Regina Ami Dzaka attended the MRCTCM for the first time in 2009. After suffering from knee, ankle and back pain, together with a disc dislocation during a mission in the Philippines, she returned to Malta for treatment. Following a year-and-a-half of physiotherapy treatment without any improvement, she got to know about the MRCTCM.

“My first treatment started on 20th April 2009 with Dr. Zhang, the leader of the medical team. Dr. Zhang told me that the ligaments were damaged. When l heard that my ligaments were damaged, l completely lost hope but he told me that l should not worry since he was going to treat me using the ancient traditional medicine of acupuncture treatment. This marks the beginning of a long, lasting, cordial, and fruitful relationship between the (MRCTCM), and me. I feel completely better now.”

Martin Azzopardi made his first direct contact with the MRCTCM in 2010 after founding the Science China Corner at St. Margaret College Secondary School Verdala, Cospicua, where he works as a science teacher. The Science China Corner serves as a Montessori Method of teaching Science and Technology through Chinese culture and serves as a cultural bridge of friendship between Malta and China. Since 2010, he has been inviting Chinese doctors to give lectures about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in his school.

“Thanks to these lectures, St. Margaret College Science China Corner students can understand that TCM is a type of holistic, natural healthcare system that originated in China around the year 200 BC. TCM is both ‘holistic’ and ‘natural’ because it stimulates the healing mechanisms of the body and takes into account all aspects of a patient’s life. TCM considers the body as a complex network of interconnected parts and not a system of separate organs.”

Fiona Vella’s first encounter with the Chinese doctors of the MRCTCM was in 2014. She was writing articles to promote Chinese culture and traditions and she wished to know more about TCM and the services that the Chinese doctors offered in Malta.

“Dr. Wang Xiaolan, the Director of the Centre in 2014, explained to me that the Centre was a project of cooperation between Malta and China to provide the people of Malta with an alternative medical system to treat pain and illness.  For the past 20 years, the Government of the People’s Republic of China had selected a Chinese Medical Team to treat patients from the Centre in Paola, Mater Dei Hospital and the General Hospital in Gozo.

“Every two years, a new team of expert Chinese doctors was sent to the Centre to replace the previous group. Attendance of Maltese clients was increasing each year, by then reaching 10,000 patients annually. This led the Chinese Government to invest a further €400,000 to restore the Centre. New works included the refurbishment of the Centre’s Chinese-style garden to offer an area of serenity and healing to the patients.”

“Following regular visits to the MRCTCM throughout the years, I met Dr. Yang Xiaoming in 2018. Although I had always been afraid of needles, Dr. Yang’s gentleness convinced me to try acupuncture in order to feel its effectiveness. I discovered that it was actually almost painless and that it was really very effective. Noticing my growing interest to experience other treatments, he introduced me also to tuina therapy, cupping and moxibustion.”

Jonathan Joseph McBee reached out to the MRCTCM in 2021, after a friend suggested that he should explore alternatives beyond Western medicinal practices.

For nearly a year, during the relentless grip of the pandemic lockdown, he had been grappling with worsening and persistent back aches. Nothing that came out of multiple visits to his GP and physiotherapist seemed to work for long.

“When the Bolt driver stopped us near the entrance to the Mediterranean Regional Centre for Traditional Chinese Medicine on that sweltering summer day, I must have looked like a pitiful hermit crab pulling itself out of a shell that can no longer house it, as I did my best to extricate myself from the vehicle.

“Every movement was agony, and actions so many others took for granted multiple times a day, had become an ordeal.

“To be completely honest, I had never undergone acupuncture before, and the thought of having multiple long needles inserted into my back did not fill me with anticipation. Yet, I clung to a desperate hope that this ancient practice could, at the very least, alleviate my torment.”

“No words can truly capture the gratitude that surges through you when fear dissipates under the guidance of a gentle and understanding voice. The doctor explained each step as her hands danced across my back and occasionally gave a stomp to some percussive music only they could hear. The pinpoint precision and swiftness with which the first needle entered my skin were nothing short of astonishing. I was in the hands of a skilled practitioner who knew exactly what she was doing. While not exactly pleasurable, the experience was far from the small-scale nightmare I had envisioned.”

“The transformation was akin to night and day. When the dense fog of pain dissipates, it feels as though life has returned. While there may be no cure for the arthritis in my spine, there is relief. Every month or two, I make my pilgrimage to the MRCTCM, where a rotating roster of skilled healers continues to play their part in keeping the antagonising agony at bay.”