Cardiovascular diseases were once the “silent killer” of the people of Solomon Islands. Due to the lack of specialized techniques and advanced equipment, patients with coronary heart disease had to travel overseas for coronary intervention procedures, facing high costs and the risk of treatment delays. This situation changed with the commissioning of the standardized cardiac catheterization laboratory at the Comprehensive Medical Centre (CMC) of the Solomon Islands National Referral Hospital—built with China’s assistance—and the arrival of the 4th China Medical Team to Solomon Islands.

On June 5, Dr. Wei Bo of the 4th China Medical Team guided local physicians in completing the country’s first percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute inferior myocardial infarction, launching a training model of “on-table guidance + postoperative review + nursing training.” To date, the team has guided local staff in performing 13 coronary angiography examinations and 7 coronary intervention procedures, achieving a breakthrough from “zero cases” to “routine practice.”

Today, CMC is able to provide a one-stop service integrating “outpatient care, hospitalization, and interventional treatment,” allowing local residents to access advanced cardiac procedures close to home. This transformation marks a major upgrade in China–Solomon Islands medical cooperation—from “hardware support” to “capacity building.” It not only fills the gap in high-end medical facilities in the country, but also promotes a systemic improvement of Solomon Islands’ health-care system through technical assistance and service accessibility, writing a touching chapter in the cooperation between the two countries.

(From The 4th China Medical Team to Solomon Islands)