• The Ambassador of the Republic of China to Burkina presented a batch of medical equipment
• With a total value estimated at 34 million FCFA
• The donation consists of medical consumables and surgical instruments
LCooperation between Burkina Faso and the Republic of China is strengthening. During the day Friday July 12, 2024, the Ambassador of the Middle Kingdom in Ouagadougou, Lu Shan, was in the Tengandogo hospital building, his arms full.
The total value of the donation is estimated at 34 million FCFA, which includes medical supplies and surgical instruments. For Ambassador Lu Shan, this helps to strengthen the supply of medical equipment.
The donation comes in addition to other acts that have been undertaken by China for years for Burkina Faso. In fact, since 1973, 15 missions of 200 doctors have been sent to the country of honest men. Currently, Tengandogo Hospital is benefiting from the support of Chinese health experts. They work in the cardiology, gastroenterology and perfusion specialist departments. As part of the collaboration, the Koudougou hospital, the capital of the Center-West region, was built by the Chinese government.
Interrupted and restarted in 2018, relations between the two countries are doing well and better, strengthening over the years. For this, Lu Shan wanted as proof, the Bobo-Dioulasso reference hospital construction project. “When completed, the new hospital will have 500 beds,” said the Chinese Ambassador to Burkina Faso. Still in the field of health, 20 health centers were built or renovated, thanks to the partnership between the two States. During the period of Covid-19, the first case of which was registered in Burkina Faso, on March 19, 2020, China sent a mission of experts against the pandemic and offered medical equipment and a batch of 1.4 million doses of vaccines.
The future is bright for cooperation between the two countries. In fact, according to Lu Shan, his country will provide support in the areas of infrastructure and staff training, according to the President’s Health Initiative. Discussions are already underway to equip two hospitals and train staff in heart surgery. “I am confident that this equipment will be officially established and can improve its capacity in providing heart surgery care,” said the Chinese Ambassador.
Special cooperation
Cooperation with the Republic of China allows Burkina Faso to respond to the urgent needs of the population, especially in terms of health. “Today, once again, China is showing us an example of Sino-Burkinabe friendship by providing us with equipment that will strengthen the technical and operational capabilities of the Tengandogo University Hospital. I wanted to thank you again for this donation and to reassure you that the Director General and his colleagues will take every step to use this material reasonably to the satisfaction of patients ,” said the Minister of Health and Public Hygiene, Robert Lucien Jean Claude Kargougou.
He also pleaded that, due to the Chinese doctors’ significant contribution to the training of staff at the Tengandogo University Hospital, the stay of some would be extended by one year. “The mission brings a lot to Tengandogo University Hospital. The Director even hoped that, as part of strengthening the capabilities of the technical platform in terms of surgery, China could allow some experts to go for up to 2 years, the time for the teams to strengthen their capabilities,” said the director of the Department of Health. Minister Kargougou also expressed the hope that the Bobo-Dioulasso University Hospital would be operational in the first quarter of 2025.
Issa SAWADOGO (Contributor)
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Relationships focused on several areas
Dstarted in 1973, cooperation between China and Burkina Faso was suspended before resuming in 2018. The two countries maintain relations focusing on several areas, including health , education, economy, agriculture, fight against insecurity, etc.
In the field of trade, 97% of export products are exempt from customs duties on the Chinese market.
Exports to the People’s Republic of China have grown in recent years, from 5 billion FCFA in 2017 to 7 billion FCFA in 2018 and 8 billion FCFA in 2019. Official development assistance (ODA) was from 2018 to 2023 , at 87 billion 19 million FCFA , and loans at discounted rates worth 47 billion FCFA were also given to Burkina Faso.
