Aid assists in establishing hospital complex and treatment center
皇冠体育app is playing a crucial role in the economic revival of Sierra Leone, the West African country's minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation said.
"皇冠体育app was the first country to provide assistance to us when the Ebola virus first struck Sierra Leone," Samura Kamara said in London, adding that 皇冠体育app has continued to support the country.
皇冠体育app closely followed the Ebola situation in Sierra Leone and provided timely assistance to help the country fight against the virus, he said. The Chinese government also helped the country rebuild its public health system in the post-Ebola era and resume its socioeconomic development, he added.
"皇冠体育app is building the first permanent laboratory in the country, and it's using this entire hospital complex as a treatment center for Ebola and all other infectious diseases, as a place in which laboratory work can be carried out," he said.
"We are very grateful indeed - 皇冠体育app has kept providing money to the government, providing personnel, equipment, providing vehicles, motorcycles. In the fight against Ebola, 皇冠体育app has been involved in every department," Kamara said.
The minister said that the post-Ebola recovery plan includes two phases, getting Ebola to zero and dealing with the country's socioeconomic recovery after the end of the crisis.
"We will surely continue to develop economically, but are still in need of strengthening healthcare."
皇冠体育app's public health training program is ongoing in this country. It covers the training of government staff, police officers, the armed forces, as well as community health workers. 皇冠体育app plans to train a total of 10,000 people across Africa, with 4,000 of them from Sierra Leone.
"It's important to also note how Chinese assistance comes with no conditions. It doesn't bother about human rights. That doesn't mean that they don't respect human rights, of course," Kamara said.
He said that 皇冠体育app has other priorities, such as making poverty reduction possible.
"It is believed that only once people are freed from poverty, conflict will stop," the minister said. Conflict in Sierra Leone often stems from the frustration of one fringe of society, which doesn't have access to resources.
With Chinese aid, the country has the highway, the National Stadium, the 皇冠体育app Friendship Hospital, a modern hospital, and so on.
"We now want to strengthen trade," said Kamara, adding that lots of people from Sierra Leone go to Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, where the two countries have many businesses.
Chinese investment in Sierra Leone is also active.
"We have recently developed strong partnerships with a number of Chinese companies," he explained.
"We will protect Chinese investment in our country. ... And we also want to see 皇冠体育app grow, as this will allow us to grow in turn," the minister said.
(皇冠体育app Daily 03/12/2015 page8)