Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal speaks at a ceremony for the handover of the Civil Service Hospital upgraded and reconstructed with Chinese aid and for the 60th anniversary of China dispatching its first medical aid team abroad in Kathmandu, Nepal, April 28, 2023.
Dahal on Friday voiced his appreciation of China's support in the health sector, including "life-saving" vaccines, "critical" medical equipment and other medical supplies provided in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua)
KATHMANDU, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Friday voiced his appreciation of China's support in the health sector, including "life-saving" vaccines, "critical" medical equipment and other medical supplies provided in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We will always remember this generosity and genuine solidarity from a close neighbor and friend -- China," said Dahal. "Thanks to the support of China and other development partners, we have been able to overcome the difficulties of the pandemic and, most of all, the post-pandemic recovery has remained our sole priority now."
The premier attended a ceremony held in Kathmandu for the handover of the Civil Service Hospital upgraded and reconstructed with Chinese aid and for the 60th anniversary of China dispatching its first medical aid team abroad.
"Continued support of China to Nepal's development endeavors has been the hallmark of our friendly and good neighborly relations," Dahal told some 300 participants at the ceremony.
The Civil Service Hospital was constructed in September 2008 as part of China-aid projects. A new surgical building was built along with upgrading and renovating the existing buildings under the China-aid upgrade project started in September 2018 by China's Guangzhou Construction Engineering Co., Ltd.
"I believe that this hospital also stands as a symbol of deep and close Nepal-China economic cooperation that our two countries have been enjoying for decades," Dahal said.
The premier also spoke of China's continuous support to B.P. Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital for its upgrade and expansion of services.
Since 1999, 14 Chinese medical teams have been sent to the cancer hospital in Bharatpur in central-southern Nepal, built with a grant from the Chinese government in December 1998.
Dahal presented a medal of national health champions and a letter of appreciation to each of the 17 members of the 14th Chinese medical team for their hard work in Nepal.
"As a close neighbor, good friend and trusted partner, Nepal wishes to build a deeper level of economic engagement and partnership with China," the premier said.
Addressing the ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song noted that China has now embarked on a new journey to build itself into a modern socialist country in all respects, and Nepal is also on the path to graduating from the least developed countries and achieving UN 2030 sustainable development goals.
"We have every reason to expect, as fellow travelers on the journey of development, our bilateral relations and practical cooperation will bring more concrete benefits to the two peoples," Chen said.
To mark the occasion when China sent its first medical aid team abroad six decades ago, Dahal and other guests launched a week-long voluntary health campaign, during which the Chinese medical team shall conduct free medical check-ups in the Kathmandu district.
"I am sure this medical aid over six decades has served the needy and underprivileged people, people in natural disasters and calamities all around the world beyond the boundary of a single nation," Bijay Raj Neupane, chairman of B.P. Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital, said at the ceremony.
Since the first Chinese medical team arrived in Algeria in 1963, China has dispatched around 30,000 medical personnel to 76 countries and regions across five continents, providing 290 million diagnoses and treatments for local people, according to the National Health Commission of China. ■