Taiwan Donates 2.6m US Dollars to Build Panama Hospital

Text of report in English by Taiwanese Central News Agency website

(www.redorbit.com) Panama City, Panama, June 28 (CNA) - Republic of China Ambassador to Panama Tomas Ping-fu Hou donated US$2.6 million to the Panamanian government Friday to help the Central American country build a hospital in an impoverished area of Panama City.

After accepting the donation, Panamanian Minister of Health Rosario Turner expressed gratitude to Hou, saying that establishing the Hospital de Panama Este in an eastern suburb of the city is one of the ministry's main construction projects.

"So far, about 24.6 per cent of the hospital has been completed," Turner noted, adding that once it is inaugurated, the hospital, equipped with advanced facilities, is expected to provide some 342,000 local residents with a wide range of medical services, including hospital care, operations, outpatient treatment and emergency care, as well as women's and children's health care.

She said the establishment of the hospital will help assuage a chronic shortage of medical care for residents in the area.

Hou said the donation is aimed at helping Panama improve its medical care and further enhancing bilateral relations.

Originally published by Central News Agency website, Taipei, in English 0926 29 Jun 08.

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Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific