LUSAKA, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- "Smile Journey," a Chinese medical program aimed at providing free surgical treatment to local patients with cleft lips or palates, was launched in Zambia.

About 60 Zambian patients with the condition will benefit from the program, which was launched in a ceremony Wednesday at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka, the capital.

Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Han Jing, Zambian Minister of Health Elijah Muchima, medical experts from the "Smile Journey" program, members of the 26th China Medical Team in Zambia, and officials from the UTH and the Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital attended the ceremony.

In his remarks, Han said the program is one of the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Beijing last year, during which China announced 10 partnership action plans, including one on health cooperation.

Health cooperation is an important component of China-Zambia relations, built on deep foundations and delivering fruitful results, the ambassador said.

Han noted that China has over the years dispatched more than 1,000 medical professionals to Zambia, who have performed over 50,000 surgeries.

Muchima, for his part, said the launch reaffirms the profound friendship between the two countries.

The "Smile Journey" program addresses the critical need for cleft lip and palate treatment, which remains a challenge in Zambia, he said, noting that the country has only one center that provides comprehensive cleft care and a limited number of trained cleft specialists.

He Wei, who leads the "Smile Journey" Medical Expert Team, said his team is in Zambia to "put smiles on Zambian patients." Enditem