African students set their sights on China

Nasra Mohamound Ali attends a high-level meeting in Beijing on China-Africa health cooperation. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Yet another reason that African students come to China to learn medicine is the affordability.

Lei said, "Studying in China is much cheaper compared with Western countries, and there are government-sponsored programs."

Take the MBBS program for example. This is a program in English for international students in China seeking a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree.

They have to pay at least $15,000, or the equivalent, in tuition fees each academic year if they want to study in the United States or the United Kingdom. But it costs less than $5,000 on average in China, according to the country's University and College Admission System, an online portal for international students applying to Chinese universities.

Moreover, students spend less on dormitory accommodation at Chinese universities, a manager from the admission system said.

China has awarded scholarships to Africans traveling to the country to study. At the 2015 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Johannesburg, South Africa, China pledged to provide 30,000 scholarships to African students by this year.

Lei said, "This is better than just sending doctors to Africa, and China helps those countries in building their medical industry by training these doctors-to-be."