As the Laos are beefing up efforts to battle the COVID-19, the help of a Chinese medical team which arrived to the country last week are proved to be a reassuring booster.
"The Chinese experts came to Laos after they had just treated their patients in China. My colleagues and I, watching them busy all day either in the Ministry of Health or the designated hospitals for treating COVID-19, felt quite warm and touched," Chandaly Sitpraxay, a Lao doctor with health ministry told Xinhua on Sunday.
"These Chinese experts are really with us!" she added.
Laos detected its first two confirmed COVID-19 cases on March 24, and only five days later, the Chinese medical team arrived in capital Vientiane.
Deputy head of the team Shi Tongchuan told Xinhua on Sunday that his friends in Laos sent lots of messages to express their gratitude to the Chinese experts for the timely support to Laos.
"My friends say that the arrival of the Chinese expert team has added calm and confidence to the Lao people in the fight against the pandemic," said Shi.
For Jiang Zaidong, Chinese ambassador to Laos, China and Laos are a mutual support team in fighting against the COVID-19.
He said on Sunday that Laos, a developing country with comparatively small economy, donated 700,000 U.S. dollars and many batches of materials to China when China's anti-epidemic fight was most strenuous.
The country also made full preparations for the successful convention of the China-ASEAN Special Foreign Ministers' Meeting on COVID-19 and the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting, sending out the region's strong voice to join hands in the fight against the epidemic.
"Our medical team is sharing China's experience with our Lao counterparts unreservedly, and is committed to assisting the Lao side to form a professional solution in line with Laos' situation, thus contributing to the building of the China-Laos community with a shared future," said Jiang.
The Chinese experts have also showed strong sense of responsibility, spending most of their time at the Lao Ministry of Health and designated hospitals.
Several days later, the team leader, Huang Xingli, has got a relatively clear picture of the epidemic prevention and control situation in Laos.
He told Xinhua that members of the expert team have been communicating with relevant Lao authorities, and going to hospitals, quarantined points, and isolated families to check the implementation of the suggested measures, in a bid to help improve Laos' prevention and control policies as well as diagnosis and treatment plans.
"We are fully aware of the great responsibility and will continue to go deep into the front line of prevention and control in Laos, to consider comprehensively docking Laos' actual conditions and China's experiences, thus contributing to Laos' fight against the epidemic and building the China-Laos community with a shared future," Liu Xiaoqiang, a Chinese expert from the team told Xinhua.
The Lao doctor Chandaly was deeply impressed by the professionalism of his Chinese peers.
"We all know that wards are at risk, but the Chinese experts left their families and came into the wards in Laos regardless of personal safety. They are treating us as their own family," Chandaly said.
She said her colleagues at the Mittaphab Hospital highly praised the expertise and devotion of the Chinese experts. "When Laos encounters difficulties, the Chinese people and government come to us, no matter what difficulties exist. We Lao people are very grateful, and I love China!"
Soukkhaphone Sisamoud, a 25-year-old official with Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs said to Xinhua, Chinese experts will encourage Lao youths to study in medical field to become specialists, and heroes of the public.
Chanphouphet Sengthavong, a 32-year-old Vientiane citizen working in Mahosot Hospital, a designated hospital for COVID-19 treatment, told Xinhua that China is assisting Laos in many ways, especially sending the medical specialists.
"This is very helpful. I am grateful to have experienced staff in our country, we can learn directly with them to control the spread of virus. This makes me feel hopeful," said the doctor.
Sithixay Xayavong, Director of Chinese Studies Center of the National University of Laos, told Xinhua that the arrival of the Chinese expert team and materials will strongly promote the bilateral cooperation to jointly overcome the pandemic.
The Laos has detected 11 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Monday morning.