DAR ES SALAAM, July 2 -- “SERVING the people knows no borders. As a Chinese doctor, I am proud to let my Tanzanian colleagues feel the strength of our country and our profession,” Zhang Junqiao, the leader of the 27th Chinese medical team in Tanzania, wrote in a final social media post.

Days later, on June 15, these words became his legacy. Witnessing a local woman drowning off the coast of Dar es Salaam, Zhang sprinted into the surf to rescue her. Though the woman survived, the 38-year-old anaesthesiologist, overcome by exhaustion, perished in the waves despite desperate resuscitation attempts by his colleagues.

Zhang had arrived in Dar es Salaam in early 2024, serving at Muhimbili National Hospital where he specialised in ...