On 11 February, 2023, H.E. Ambassador Wang Lixin attended the launching ceremony of China-Maldives Ophthalmology Center Assistance and Cooperation Program, and delivered her remarks as follows:
Honorable Mr. Faisal Naseem, Vice President of the Republic of Maldives,
Honorable Mr. Ali Shiyam, Minister at the President’s Office of the Republic of Maldives,
Honorable Dr. Shah Abdullah Mahir, State Minister for Health of the Republic of Maldives,
Respected Mrs. Maria Saeed, CEO of Hulhumale’Hospital,
Respected Pro. Chen Weirong, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear friends,
Good evening!
It gives me great pleasure to attend today’s launching ceremony of Ophthalmology Centre Assistance & Corporation Program between China & Maldives. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to the relevant government departments and hospitals of China and Maldives, especially the Chinese medical team led by professor Chen Weirong from Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-sen University for their relentless efforts. My sincere thanks also go to H.E. Vice President Faisal Naseem for sparing time from his very busy schedule to attend this ceremony. The project is an important measure to implement the relevant cooperation agreement signed by the two governments last year during the visit of State Councilor Wang Yi to the Maldives, is an significant Chinese international medical assistance project, and also a major livelihood project of jointly building the "the Belt and Road" between the two countries, aiming to promote traditional friendship, mutually beneficial cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between China and the Maldives. While encouraging the Chinese medical team, Chinese President Xi Jinping recently pointed out that the Chinese people love peace and cherish lives, which is vividly illustrated by their efforts in international medical assistance. Chinese medical teams are not only saving lives, but also building friendship.
Immediately after optimizing its Covid-19 response measures, the Chinese government sent the medical team here led by Prof. Chen Weirong, from Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, which fully shows the great importance that the Chinese Government has attached to China-Maldives friendly relations and the Maldivian people’s health. This is the fourth visit paid by Professor Chen to this beautiful country both as doctor and friendship envoy. I believe that many Maldivian friends have received her treatment and help. This time the main task of the medical team is to train the Maldivian doctors & nurses in China-Maldives ophthalmology center. They will stay here for six months, and then the Maldivian medical staff will be invited to China for professional training so that they will gradually acquire the ability to independently treat common ophthalmic diseases. This will establish a new model of the Chinese medical assistance to the Maldives.
In the past few years, we have actively promoted medical and health exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, and have continued to provide medical assistance to the Maldives so as to promote China-Maldives friendship and improve the well-being of the Maldivian people. In 2016, 2017 and 2020, the Chinese government respectively sent three groups of experts to the Maldives to carry out the "Bright Journey" program. They offered ophthalmic checks for over 1100 patients at Hulhumale hospital and Lamu Atoll Gan island regional hospital, successfully conducted more than 300 operations of all kinds. In addition, the Chinese government donated a large amount of medical equipment and materials to the Maldivian side. In January 2020, the China-Maldives Ophthalmology Center established with the assistance of China was inaugurated by President Salih. After that, the Chinese medical team carried out about 1200 ophthalmic checks and nearly 200 ophthalmic operations.
Now, the Chinese government's medical assistance and cooperation to the Maldives has come to a new level, from providing "Bright Journey" medical services at the beginning to assisting the establishment of ophthalmology center afterwards, and now the capacity building. China has always aimed to improve the independent development capacity of Maldives and enable the Maldivian medical staff to serve the Maldivian people at home. China's medical aid model to the Maldives is shifting from "offering fish to people" to "teaching people how to fish", which will not only set a new model of sustainable cooperation between the two countries, but also bring tangible benefits to the Maldivian people.
Last year, we successfully celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China & Maldives, and witnessed our bilateral relations coming to a new level. This year we hope that both sides will work together to implement the strategic consensus of the leaders of the two countries, and promote cooperation in various fields with greater progress. The launch of ophthalmology center assistance and cooperation program can be seen as a “good start” of our bilateral relations this year, which means half success.
The seven-member medical team not only has excellent medical skills, but also has brought a large amount of medical equipment and materials urgently needed for the eye center. It is believed that the combination of Chinese medical experts with the first-class skills and the eye center with advanced equipment will maximize the effectiveness and bring good luck to Maldivian patients with eye diseases. I believe that the medical team headed by professor Chen will live up to President Xi’s instructions and use their medical proficiency and ethics to benefit the Maldivian people, and to better present China to the Maldives through their concrete actions, thus making greater contributions to the building of a global community of health for all.
May I wish the hospital assistance & cooperation program a full success!
May I wish the China-Maldives friendship last forever!
Thank you very much!