Sudan, China inaugurate friendship hospital in Sudan

Xinhua, July 17, 2011

Sudan's central Gezira state and the Sudanese ministry of health on Saturday celebrated the inauguration of the China-Sudan Friendship Hospital for Maternity and Child Care in Abu Ushar area, which was built in cooperation with China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA).

"This medical construction stands as an evidence of the strong Sino-Sudanese ties which have extended for over a half century," Gezira state Governor Al-Zubair Bashir Taha said at the inauguration ceremony on Saturday.

"The political, economic and commercial partnership between Sudan and China constitutes a model for cooperation among countries. Due to this partnership, Sudan has managed to establish great development projects with the support of China and its positive stances," he said.

Sudanese caretaker Health Minister Al-Saddiq Qismalla Al-Wakeel reiterated the importance of establishing a maternity and childhood hospital in Gezira state, saying "we at the federal ministry of health believe that this hospital represents a support for our objectives and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which Sudan has committed to fulfill regarding reduction of maternity mortality."

He praised China's supportive stances to Sudan, saying "China is among the countries far away from Sudan in terms of distance, but it is the closest to Sudan in terms of stances, services and vital assistance it provides to the Sudanese people."

"Since 1970, China has started to send medical missions to Sudan. China has established Sino-Sudanese hospital in Omdurman and we have many medical cadres who were trained in China. Another hospital would be established by China in Blue Nile state," he noted.

Jiang Xiaohua, the official in charge of poverty alleviation at China's State Council, congratulated the Sudanese people over the inauguration of the hospital, saying "this project opens a new page of communication between the Chinese and the Sudanese people. "

"Due to over 50 years of diplomatic ties and due to the wisdom of the leadership in Sudan and China, the cooperation and friendly ties between the two countries have become stable and flourished," Jiang said.

The China-Sudan Abu Ushar Friendship Hospital was the first time the CFPA cooperated with the Sudanese Al Bir Wa Al-Tawasul Organization which operates in the field of maternity and child care.

The construction cost of the hospital amounted to about one million U.S. dollars, 80 percent of which was donated by the CFPA and the rest 20 percent by the Al Bir Wa Al-Tawasul Organization.

Chinese Ambassador to Sudan Li Chengwen, Fatima Al-Amin, wife of Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha and the secretary general of Al Bir Wa Al-Tawasul Organization, head and members of the CFPA delegation and members of the Gezira state government attended the inauguration ceremony.