A medical team dispatched by the Chinese government leaves Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region for Niger and Comoros on Tuesday to help fight the coronavirus. [Photo by Wang Long Fei for chinadaily.com.cn]

A medical team dispatched by the Chinese government to Niger and the Union of the Comoros to help combat coronavirus outbreaks set out on Tuesday from Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

The expert team of 48 people drawn from hospitals in the region's 12 largest cities, will provide medical services for local residents and assist with anti-epidemic measures during their 18-month stay, the region's health commission said.

Ou Chunhong, deputy director of the disinfection center of First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University and her husband Tao Weiqi, a doctor from the Second Nanning People's Hospital, are part of the group.

"Back in 2017, when I first went to Niger, my job was to help operate a newly built hospital. Now we will join the fight with local medics and offer necessary guidance to curb the pandemic," Ou said.

According to the region's health commission, Guangxi has dispatched 656 medical staff to Niger and 139 to Comoros since 1976.