STATEMENT BY THE RT HON PRIME MINISTER
DR B.S.S. DLAMINI
WELCOMING THE DELEGATION FROM THE TAIPEI MEDICAL UNIVERSITY
AT THE CABINET OFFICES, MBABANE
MONDAY 16 DECEMBER 2012
Honourable Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
Dr Yun Yen, President of the Taipei Medical University
Dr Ta-Liang Chen, Deputy President of the Taipei Medical University
Dr Hsiao-Chen Chiu, Member of the Board of Trustees of theTaipei Medical University
Members of the Media
It gives me great pleasure to greet you all and welcome you to the Kingdom of Swaziland, and to my Office today.
The Taiwanese Government, and the people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) have been great friends to the people of Swaziland. The support we have received over many years has spanned numerous sectors within our economy and our society, from health to agriculture, with the assistance ranging from equipment to technical assistance. The strong friendship and spirit of active collaboration between our two countries has been quite exceptional.
Dr Yen and colleagues, you are in Swaziland on an important assignment – to sign a contract with our Government to implement “Taiwan Medical Mission,” a project that will run for two years, from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2014. This will now involve the Taipei Medical University continuing its good work and taking over the entire responsibility for the existing Project.
The Taiwan Medical Mission, while only four years old, has already made an outstanding contribution to the quality of health service delivery in Swaziland. Through the four Taiwanese doctors currently in the programme we have been able to enhance considerably our specialist medical services in the fields of neurology, infectious diseases and rheumatology. Apart from the enormous benefit of being able to offer such skills on site, having these specialists has enabled Government to attend to patients in-country and avoid having to seek medical attention abroad, with all the attendant costs.
In the course of your visit to the Kingdom you will also travel to the University of Swaziland and the Southern Africa Nazarene University and I take this opportunity to express our appreciation for your willingness to extend your assistance into those crucially important segments of tertiary education.
Furthermore, your University has trained a number of Swazi students in recent years and we were delighted to welcome back six graduates who are now giving to the people of Swaziland the benefit of that training. Added to the seven Swazi undergraduates with you at the present time, this will contribute a great deal to our national skills base in the field of medicine.
It is my honour to thank you for making the long journey to the Kingdom of Swaziland and for the generous assistance given through the Taiwan Medical Mission. I do hope that, while you are here, you will enjoy some of the scenic and other attractions of our country, and then have a safe journey home.
Thank you.