Ambassador Sun Xianghua's Remarks at the Donation Ceremony of Medical Equipment&Products by the Embassy of P. R. China in Lesotho to Motebang Hospital, Leribe
On 14 August 2017, H.E. Dr. Sun Xianghua, the Ambassador of P. R. China to the Kingdom of Lesotho, attended the Donation Ceremony of Medical Equipment & Products by the Chinese Embassy to the Motebang Hospital in Leribe. The remarks delivered by Ambassador Sun at the ceremony were as follows:
1. It's my great honor to hand over this batch of medical materials to the Motebang Hospital. First of all, I must express my profound appreciation to His Honorable Kaya and Her Honorable Phohleli and their entourage to attend today's event. I shall also thank the Director of Motebang hospital and her colleagues for organizing today's ceremony.
2. If we describe the doctors as warriors who fight diseases and save people's lives, then the medical equipments and materials are the weapons that our brave warriors must have to put up courageous fights. A couple of weeks ago, the Chinese Embassy was informed that due to some reasons, the Motebang Hospital has been in urgent needs of some basic medical equipments and materials, and the daily operation of the hospital has been affected. After consultation with the Chinese doctors and the administrators of the Hospital, the Embassy decided to donate some materials which worth M100,000. This donation may be humble, but I hope it will provide badly needed help before the hospital is fully equipped again.
3. Dear friends, as we all know that since 1996, the government of China has been sending medical teams to Lesotho, to ensure that at any time, a Chinese medical team is deployed in Lesotho to provide specialized services to our Basotho brothers and sisters. Up until now, 11 medical teams and 130 Chinese doctors have been working in Lesotho. They have treated roughly 500,000 Basotho. The Current medical team is composed by 8 doctors. Since their arrival in Lesotho in last October, they have carried out 700 surgical operations, treated 11,000 patients. They have also voluntarily gone to some remote areas to provide free medical services to more than 3000 patients. Meanwhile, the Chinese medical team has carried out close communication and mutual-learning with their Basotho counterparts. The Chinese doctors expertise has been widely recognized by Basotho. I also know that some patients as far away as Mokhotlong and Khacha's Neck have come to Motebang for treatment.
4. Bome le botate, on this occasion, I shall also thank the Ministry of Health of Lesotho and the Motebang hospital for your support to the Chinese medical team. What ever the Chinese medical teams have achieved wouldn't be possible without your understanding and support. For the past 6 years since our teams have moved to Leribe from Maseru, they have found Motebang hospital and Leribe their home away from home. Your hospitality and facilitation has helped our teams to fully concentrate on their work. I sincerely hope that this comradeship will continue to be carefully nurtured. And I also call on our Basotho brothers and sisters across Lesotho to know our Chinese doctors and understand why they are here, and do whatever they can to help and support their work and life in Lesotho.
5. Distinguished guests, in the past decades, China-Lesotho friendship has grown from strength to strength. Our two countries' relations are based on similar historical experiences, similar aspiration for economic and social development, and also based on mutual respect and mutual trust. This relationship is a brotherly kinship between two developing countries. Today, our two countries' cooperation covers a wide area ranging from infrastructure construction, agriculture and manufacturing, to education and training, cultural exchanges, telecommunication and broadcasting etc. In our cooperation, the area of public health always plays an important role. I am confident that with our joint efforts, we will surely accomplish more achievement in this area.
6. Lastly, I also want to use this opportunity to remind my dear colleagues in the medical team that, the presence here today of the Honorable Minister and Deputy Minister of Health and their entire entourage shows the Lesotho government attaches great importance to developing China-Lesotho public health cooperation. Their presence also shows their great expectation to your work and contribution. Therefore, I hope my dear colleagues to maintain your high moral and continue to work harder. Your contribution will always be remembered by our Basotho friends and your hard work will be an invaluable chapter in the history of China-Lesotho friendship.
Khotso, Pula, Nala!