Rekindling the spirit of Indian doctor Dwarkanath Kotnis, held in high esteem in China for his services to the country, a joint Medical Mission from India and China will offer free consultations to several poor areas in the two nations under an MoU signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's [Images] visit.

The India-China Joint Medical Mission, launched in the presence of Singh and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao, comprises 10 young doctors each from the two countries who will visit various places in China and subsequently in India.

Both the premiers issued certificates to the teams at a ceremony on Monday.

Dwarkanath Kotnis came to China as a member of an Indian Medical Mission consisting of five doctors in September 1938 which provided medical services by treating Chinese during the War of Resistance against the Japanese invasion.

All the members returned to India while Kotnis stayed back in China and died of illness in 1942 at the age of 32.

The Chinese even look at him as a symbol of the enduring India-China links.

"Singh kept saying, I am really happy with the joint mission as he shook hands," a delighted Dr Wang Qingxian, one of members of the mission, said.

The objective of the joint medical mission is to remember the contributions and the spirit of the Indian Medical Mission to China.

"It will further mutual understanding and respect between the two peoples", Chen Haosu of the Chinese People's Association For Friendship with the Foreign Countries was quoted as saying by the state-run China Daily.