Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Sunday thanked Taiwan for its assistance in building and funding the Chimaltenango National Hospital.
Taiwan donated US$22 million for the construction of the 340-bed hospital, which has 15 departments and was completed in February after 18 months of construction.
Taiwan’s and Guatemala’s national flags, as well as President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) and Giammattei’s names, are engraved in a commemorative plaque at the hospital’s entrance.
Photo: AFP / Guatemalan President’s Office
At at a handover ceremony on the last day of Tsai’s trip to the Central American ally, she presented Giammattei with a model of the hospital and a set of commemorative coins from the Ministry of National Defense.
Tsai’s delegation and other guests then toured the hospital’s neonatal care center.
She praised “the contributions of many very dedicated people,” including the Guatemalan government and Taiwanese staff who assisted in the process.
The “wonderful flagship project” took advantage of local construction materials and labor, as well as Taiwan’s experience and technology, she said.
The project spurred economic development in the area and created many job opportunities throughout the construction process amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the importance of medical care and public health systems in countries all over the world, she said.
The facility provides high-quality medical services to 720,000 local residents and more than 2 million people in the surrounding five departments of Guatemala, she said.
Taiwan and Guatemala would continue to deepen cooperation in a wide range of areas “in line with the principles of steadfast diplomacy and mutual assistance for mutual benefit,” Tsai said.
The hospital “best represents Taiwan-Guatemala cooperation,” Giammattei said, describing it as “an engineering feat” that can “provide invaluable medical resources and care to the community.”
He thanked Taiwan for its generosity in providing the blueprint for the hospital, which can be used to construct other medical facilities.
“There is no more important or worthy mission than that of improving the quality of the people’s lives,” he said.
The Guatemalan government is committed to supporting the sovereignty of Taiwan, he added.
He wished the delegation a smooth and productive visit to Belize, the next stop on their itinerary.
Giammattei also gave Tsai his best wishes.
“You took a piece of the Guatemalan people’s heart away with your departure,” he said. “Please take good care of it and protect it. At the same time, your visit this time also left a piece of your heart in Guatemala, which will be protected and guarded here.”
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