The Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Basseterre facilitated the handing over of a significant donation of medical equipment to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Ageing and Disabilities during a brief ceremony held at the JNF General Hospital today, Thursday, May 11, 2023.
Minister of Youth Empowerment, Ageing and Disabilities, Hon. Isalean Phillip
The donation was made by the Cao Zhong Zhi Foundation, a charity group founded by Mr. Cao and his wife in Taiwan in 1977. The donation includes eighty (80) adult wheelchairs, seventeen (17) wheelchairs for children, twenty-four (24) steel folding commodes, fifty-two (52) aluminum walkers and one hundred and twenty (120) aluminum walking canes, which will be utilized at the hospitals, health centers, the Cardin Home and other elderly care institutions.
Donation of Equipment
The presentation of medical supplies was made by the Resident Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to St. Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency Michael Chau-Horng Lin. Delivering remarks, Ambassador Lin stated that this donation demonstrates that the partnership between St. Kitts and Nevis and Taiwan is robust in the private and public sectors.
He added, “This donation also shows the indispensable role of Taiwan in the global public health community. These wheelchairs and equipment are part of the long list of items that Taiwan donated to the Federation and the whole world over the years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Excluded from most public health international organizations, Taiwan has proven again and again that Taiwan can help.”
Minister responsible for Youth Empowerment, Ageing and Disabilities, the Honourable Isalean Phillip said the equipment received will be of great use in her ministry.
The minister said, “We are happy to have this partnership with the Ministry of Health and thank you for remembering us and for ensuring that we are invited to also benefit from the equipment that our dear friends from Taiwan have so ably donated. We often get requests from the seniors who we support in our programmes for equipment and for supports like wheelchairs and some of these other equipment and of course for our differently-abled persons. It’s also very good to hear that we have wheelchairs [that are youth size] because we also do have young people who need this type of equipment and it certainly would go a long way to support the persons who we serve in our programmes through the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Ageing and Disabilities.”
In accepting the donation, the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew commented on the longstanding friendship that exists between the Federation and the Republic of China (Taiwan).
L-R: Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew; His Excellency Ambassador Michael Chau-Horng Lin.
“This relationship now will complete 40 years this year, which is an amazing feat, and with each year the relationship continues to grow stronger. The Republic of China (Taiwan) has partnered with this country over those many years which has led to the improvement of the lives of our people here in St. Kitts and Nevis,” Prime Minister Dr. Drew said.
He added, “We look forward to continued partnership with the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Health so that we can really bring programmes that would affect people’s everyday lives in a positive way.”
In further support of the health and well-being of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis and in celebration of the 40th year of bilateral relations between both nations, the Taiwan Embassy in Basseterre will be hosting a health walk on Saturday, May 20 in collaboration with SKN Moves.
Permanent Secretaries in the Ministries of Health and Youth Empowerment, Ageing, Disabilities, Mrs. Janelle Lewis-Tafari and Dr. Sharon Archibald; Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew; Hon. Isalean Phillip; H.E. Ambassador Michael Lin; Director of Health Institutions Dr. Jenson Morton, Mrs. Sandra Lestrade-Caines, Assistant Director of Institutional Nursing Services; Mrs. Lindsey Maynard, Director of Operations at JNF General Hospital; and other senior government officials in the relevant ministries