Belmopan - 10 November, 2008
The Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has made a cash donation of US$100,000.00 to Belize for flood relief and emergency medical supplies in an effort to assist with the recent flood event in Belize. The cheque was handed over today, Monday November 10, 2008 to Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow by Ambassador of Republic of China (Taiwan) to Belize H.E. Mr. Ting Joseph Shih.

Additionally, the Tao Yuan hospital is shipping a container of medical equipment and the Taiwan International Health Action group is organizing medical teams to provide assistance. This assistance is a direct result of the recent visit of the Minister of Health, Hon. Pablo Marin and Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Peter Allen to the Republic of China (Taiwan).

At the invitation of the Health Minister of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Dr. Ching-Chuan Yeh, Belize's Hon. Pablo Marin and the Dr. Peter Allen attended the "2008 Global Forum for Health Leaders" from November 3-6, 2008, in Taipei City.

The theme of the forum was "Health and Globalization: Challenges and Opportunities," and focused on three main areas: (1) Evidence-based health policy, (2) Global trend of healthcare quality, and (3) Capacity-building for disease control.

During their visit to Taipei, Minister Marin and CEO Dr. Allen met separately with Health Minister Yeh, who assured them that the Republic of China (Taiwan) would assist Belize, through its Embassy in Belize, with a supply of urgently needed pharmaceuticals to address the medical issues associated with the recent floods in Belize.

The Minister and the CEO also met the Vice President of the Tao Yuan General Hospital, Dr. Yuan-chiang Chung, to discuss further collaboration between the Belize Health Ministry and Tao Yuan General Hospital in areas of human resource development and infrastructure capacity building. They also took the opportunity to meet with Belizeans who are on short and long-term scholarships in the Republic of China (Taiwan).