Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, signed an agreement and was granted a license to build an international general practitioner medical training base in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Wednesday.

The university, which has abundant medical resources and strengths, will draw from its multiple affiliated advantageous disciplines and hospital systems in Xinjiang, according to a statement released by the university on Thursday.

Known as the Belt and Road Initiative International General Practitioner Training Base, the base will nurture general practitioners with international vision and distinctive Chinese characteristics in the months to come and help build a "healthy Silk Road". It will also improve the grassroots medical and health service system in Xinjiang and BRI-related countries, the statement said.

The cross-regional training will accelerate the construction of grassroots medical teams in the southern Xinjiang region and provide better "doorstep" medical services for local people, it said.

Shan Hong, president of the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, said medical teams from the hospital would try to help comprehensively improve the medical standards of general practitioners in Xinjiang through a series of training courses both online and offline in the coming months.

Kashgar is the hub of the country's land silk road. The city is now accelerating the construction of the first national regional medical center in southern Xinjiang.

Xiao Fei, deputy president of Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and president of Kashgar No 1 People's Hospital, said his hospital will seize the opportunity to radiate China's international general practitioner training programs and systems to promote the improvement of Xinjiang's grassroots medical and health standards going forward.

Gao Song, president of the university, said it is the responsibility and honor of the university to give full play to the advantages of medical science and resources of affiliated hospitals comprehensively. It will also systematically improve the quality of Xinjiang aid work and provide high-quality services to support the country's BRI projects.

The project was jointly initiated by the Guangdong Health Commission, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Health Commission, the Guangdong Medical Doctor Association, Sun Yat-sen University, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and Macao University of Science and Technology.

Link to the report: https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202308/10/WS64d4c792a31035260b81b6a2.html