A total of 30 outstanding international medical aid groups and 60 outstanding individuals were commended at the event. Xu Jie, a traditional Chinese medicine expert from Jiangxi province, was among the individuals who were honored.

In 2012, Xu — an expert in the acupuncture technique — went to the Republic of Tunisia as part of China's long-running health aid effort in the North African country. During his six-year stay, he helped create a training center for acupuncture practitioners at one of the country's top hospitals in the town of La Marsa.

"The enthusiasm and expectations of the local people deeply touched my heart," he said at a symposium on Friday, which followed the event at the Great Hall of the People and was attended by other medical aid workers. "Because of that, I secretly made up my mind to devote myself to the cause of medical assistance."