Representatives attend a signing ceremony at the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Hospital in Jui, a town in the suburb of Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Feb. 22, 2024. (Xinhua/Shi Yu)

A Chinese hospital on Thursday signed an agreement with the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Hospital to boost medical cooperation between the two countries at Jui, a town in the suburb of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.

Under the deal, the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, one of the top-notch hospitals in Hunan Province in central China, will provide more medical assistance to its counterpart, particularly in nursing.

According to Yan Jin, the director of the Chinese hospital's nursing department, the hospital boasts a decades-long cooperation with its African counterparts by dispatching nearly 20 medical personnel to the continent.

The Chinese hospital is willing to have visiting staff from the Sierra Leonean hospital for medical training in specific areas, such as the management of the special care baby unit, Yan said at the signing ceremony.

Sarah Conth, president of the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Hospital, noted that her hospital's special care baby unit has faced multiple challenges including feeding the babies and training the medical staff. She expressed her gratitude to the Chinese side for always reaching out and helping the hospital improve its practices.

The Sierra Leone-China Friendship Hospital, where the Chinese medical teams are based, is one of the largest comprehensive hospitals in Sierra Leone.