ZANZIBAR, Tanzania, Aug. 27 -- Tanzania's Zanzibari President Hussein Ali Mwinyi awarded members of the 33rd batch of the Chinese medical team medals and commemorative certificates in recognition of their contribution to Tanzania's medical and health undertakings.

The awarding ceremony was held Monday at the Zanzibar State House at the end of the team's one-year medical services in the Indian Ocean islands.

Mwinyi thanked the Chinese government for its outstanding contributions to Zanzibar's medical service and healthcare over the past 60 years and highly praised the Chinese medical team's hard work and selfless dedication. Mwinyi said the Chinese medical team used advanced medical technology to treat local patients and actively trained local medical students and doctors to reserve talent to develop Zanzibar's medical sector.

He said Chinese doctors made extraordinary contributions to developing minimally invasive laparoscopic technology in Zanzibar, enabling local doctors to make a qualitative leap in laparoscopic technology from scratch.

Jiang Guoqing, chief of the medical team, said the Chinese medical team will continue to strengthen health cooperation and exchanges with Zanzibar, provide high-quality medical services to the locals, and contribute more to the China-Africa friendship.

The 33rd batch of the Chinese medical team arrived in Zanzibar in September last year, treated nearly 40,000 outpatients, and held 20 large-scale free clinics.

China began sending medical teams to Zanzibar in 1964.