NIAMEY, April 13 (Xinhua) -- On a March morning, five-year-old Hama Moctar stepped into the General Referral Hospital of Niamey in Niger for a follow-up appointment. Just 100 days after surgery, his legs, once shortened and fractured, now carried him steadily.

Three years earlier, Moctar suffered a severe fracture in his left femur. Persistent infections followed, and his leg was left 10 centimeters shorter. While local doctors insisted amputation was the only way, Nong Jianbu, a trauma specialist from China's 24th medical aid team to Niger, proposed an alternative: the Ilizarov technique.

With equipment from China and tightly coordinated efforts, Chinese and Nigerien surgeons performed the complex operation. Today, both of Moctar's legs are equal in length and he can walk freely again.

Built by China in August 2016, the General Referral Hospital is one of West Africa's largest medical facilities. It symbolizes a bilateral partnership that spans over half a century.

Since 1976, Chinese medical teams dispatched from China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have worked tirelessly in Niger, a nation on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, making significant contributions to the country's healthcare system.

Over the years, Chinese doctors have faced countless challenges. Wang Zhou, a member of China's 24th medical aid team to the country, recalled a December night in 2024, when a Nigerien woman, stricken by acute myocardial infarction, was rushed to the hospital.

Together with nurse Wen Lina, Wang acted quickly to clear her blocked coronary arteries. Under the harsh glare of surgical lights, Wang meticulously navigated tangled blood vessels and implanted a stent just in time. "Success in such chaos feels miraculous," he said.

In the spinal surgery department, Li Xiaofeng once faced a similar situation: a 50-year-old woman with a cervical spinal canal tumor. Due to the lack of necessary medical equipment and technology in local hospitals, medical staff there have little confidence in completing the surgery.

Li spent nights studying her scans and consulting experts in China via unstable connections. After a meticulous two-hour operation, the tumor was removed. "It was like threading a needle in a sandstorm," Li said. "But her recovery made every risk worthwhile."

Since 1976, more than 750 Chinese doctors have treated nearly 1 million patients in Niger. "Every healed patient writes a new chapter in the China-Africa friendship," said Zheng Zhida, leader of the 24th medical aid team.

"Our partnership with China is fruitful," said Mamane Daou, general director of the hospital, adding that the Chinese medical team has not only sent skilled doctors but also provided vital medical equipment and consumables.

"Their expertise and dedication have earned our highest respect," he said. "The hospital now attracts patients even from Mali and Burkina Faso."■