(Seychelles News Agency) - A Chinese doctor working in Seychelles as a radiologist has gifted the Ministry of Health a medical book comprising imaging data of patient cases for teaching purpose.

Sun Zhanguo -- author of the book ‘Seychelles Radiation Cases-Image Analysis and Diagnosis Essentials’ -- told SNA that the absence of imaging data on common ailments in Seychelles has hampered the ability of local doctors to conduct in-depth research to find a possible cure.

The book details the history, distribution and treatment of common ailments in the Indian Ocean island nation and covers 400 diseases that are common in Seychelles. The book also contains more than 1,400 high definition images.

It was Danny Louange, the chief executive of the Seychelles Health Care Agency who, after learning about the database Sun was keeping, suggested that the Chinese radiologist write a manual book so as to provide diagnostic training for local staff.

“The book is the first medical imaging monograph in the Indian Ocean nation since independence,” said Louange.

Sun said that the idea for the database came after a patient came to the Seychelles Hospital in the central district of Mont Fleuri complaining of abdominal pain.

“The CT (computerised tomography) scan revealed an infection in the abdominal cavity and liver. I suspected it to be a fishbone according to my experience and observation, but both the patient and surgeon were sceptical about my opinion and the surgeon treated it as an ordinary infection,” said Sun. 

“After a while, the patient revisited the surgeon, but this time complaining of severe pain and following my advice, the two-centimetre fishbone was removed.”

Louange said, “This book is a real plus for our medical system. It is very useful for new radiologists as it provides the history of common ailments that have affected patients. That will make it much easier for doctors to identify similar problems and immediately provide a cure.” 

The book – the first book written by a Chinese doctor in Seychelles since 1986 when China started sending Chinese Medical Team to the island nation -- has gone through extensive review by Seychelles Health Research and Ethics Committee. The author even managed to get Alexander Kovalsky, a famous professor radiologist in Vinnytsia National Pirogov Memorial Medical University in Ukraine, to give a peer review of the book.

Sun, 36, arrived in the 115-island archipelago in September 2016 as a member of the Chinese medical team that has been helping in the health service delivery in Seychelles due to a shortage of doctors and specialists.

In recent years, the Seychelles' government has outsourced doctors from various countries including China, Sri Lanka, India and Cuba. At the same time, the government has also invested in training for local doctors to build its healthcare capacity.