The year was 1942. Weapons made by humans were killing thousands of people in the World War. But still, these weapons were not the deadliest killer of humans. The honour went to Malaria. 

Nations, especially in times of war, provide each other arms to fight. What India did was something different. In the times when Japanese forces were bombing Chinese territories, India helped China to build a facility to fight Malaria.

In fact, in August 1942, a government official noted, “If we had aircraft or anti-aircraft guns which we could spare for China we should think little of the financial implications of giving them to the Chinese. Why then should we be unduly concerned at adding another Rs. 10,000 in order to aid them to protect their people against just as serious a menace as Japanese bombers? In fact Malaria is an infinitely more serious menace.”

What was happening?

In March 1942, Director General of the Indian Medical Service (D.G, I.M.S) visited Chongqing, the then provisional Capital of China. The health authorities there asked him to arrange for five fellowships so that the Chinese doctors could receive training at the Malaria Institute of India, New Delhi. The demand was accepted.

D.G, I.M.S noted in a letter written on 25 March, 1942, “Intensive anti-malaria courses are now being conducted at the Malaria Institute of India lasting four weeks and a new course starts next Monday, 30th March, and will go on up to the 25th April. After April local conditions necessitate the closing down of these courses until July since in the great heat of May and June no mosquitoes are breeding. If the Chinese Government is to be helped, it is most desirable that, if at all possible, the five students should reach here not later than Monday, the 6th April. The Director of the Institute will make special arrangements in order to make up for the week's instruction which will have been missed. He could also arrange for a further three weeks special training for these Chinese students, making a course of six weeks in all.” 

It was also decided that the five Chinese doctors will reach Kolkata with the tickets bought by the Chinese authorities after which from Kolkata to New Delhi tickets would be arranged by the Indian government. Also each doctor would receive Rs. 1000 as allowance for a six weeks instruction program at Malaria Institute of India. 

So a total of Rs. 5,800 were allotted for these Chinese doctors. Rs. 5000 as fellowships and Rs. 800 for First Class Return ticket of five from Kolkata to New Delhi.

The students could not join the course in April as desired by the D.G, I.M.S and joined the next batch which started on 6 July 1942. These five Chinese doctors were :  Dr. Kuo Chin-Sheng, Dr. W.K. Tang, Dr. Chiao Shu-ming, Dr. Shih Chen Kiang, and Dr. Tseng Hiong-Nen.

The Chinese authorities requested the Indian authorities to allow more Chinese doctors for this post graduate training and three more fellowships were awarded for the batch starting on 10th August 1942.

A further batch of 10 Chinese doctors reached Kolkata for the batch starting on 14 September 1942. Many officials initially wanted this batch to be trained at India Institute of Hygiene, Calcutta but at the last minute it was decided that like the previous eight students these ten doctors would get training at New Delhi.

India helped China in establishing Malaria Organisation

These 18 doctors were trained in Malaria control and sent to China to establish an anti-Malaria organisation. The official communication said, “The original five scholarships were presumably given as a gesture of goodwill, and since then three further scholarships have been awarded to Chinese doctors studying malaria in India. It is possible that the denial of scholarships to the ten students coming to Calcutta next month may be regarded as ungracious…. There is no doubt that every effort should be made to encourage the laudable efforts of the Chinese Health authorities to establish a malaria organisation.”

“When the batch of ten doctors have been trained in malaria, a good nucleus of trained personnel will be at the disposal of the Chinese Government, as a result of assistance afforded by the Government of India. After that, it may be easy to indicate that any future training of Chinese students in malaria will not necessarily involve the Government of India in the award of scholarships.”