HONIARA AND Taipei have been acknowledged for the assistance they provide towards the ‘medical education and health collaboration and exchange’ programme between the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) and the Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU) Hospital of Taiwan.
The acknowledgement came from the President of KMU Hospital, Professor Ching-Kuan Liu on the occasion of Prime Minister Sogavare and his delegation’s visit to the institution yesterday.
The Prime Minister and his delegation, which includes; the Minister for Rural Development, Hon Jimson Tanangada, Minister for Police, National Security and Correctional Services, Hon Stanley Sofu, Minister for Infrastructure Development, Hon Jimmy Lusibaea, Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, Hon Dudley Kopu, Minister for Lands, Housing and Survey, Hon Moses Garu, Deputy Chair of Caucus, Hon Namson Tran and Chair of the Cabinet Sub- Committee on the Russell Islands Plantations Limited, Hon Dickson Mua, are on a state visit to Taiwan.
The KMU Hospital visit is part of the visitation programme that the Republic of China Government put in place for the Prime Minister and his delegation.
“I sincerely appreciate the Solomon Islands Government and Taiwanese Government for without your kind assistance and coordination, it could have been tough for us to carry out medical education and health collaboration and exchange.
“Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital is the first private medical university in Taiwan. In November 2013, I was the representative of the institution to sign a sister relationship Memorandum of Understanding with the Solomon Islands National University.
“We have been collaborating very closely with the Solomon Islands National University in numerous fields. Just in June this year, two lecturers from SINU attained their masters degree in nursing here at the Kaohsiung Medical University, whilst another lecturer is undertaking his PHD studies.
“Furthermore, another three lecturers from SINU would be undertaking masters degree courses. All these lecturers are studying here under the KMU scholarship for SINU,” Professor Liu stated.
Professor Liu said it is the obligation of KMU to support its sister university and a friend country.
Apart from the KMU Scholarship programme for SINU, he said nine other Solomon Islanders are also studying medical technology at KMU.
The KMU Hospital Superintendent, Professor Inn-Wen Chong also told the Prime Minister and his delegation on that occasion that KMU Hospital has also been collaborating with Solomon Islands National Referral Hospital (NHR) and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services under an affiliation agreement.
He said that affiliation agreement, which KMU signed with NRH in 2006, manages and implements the ‘Taiwan Health Centre in Solomon Islands Project’ which sees these two signatory institutions closely collaborate in various aspects.
Professor Liu said these collaborative aspects include KMU’s sending of professors and staff to Honiara for variety of workshops and missions.
“This coming August, Taiwan will send a health delegation to Solomon Islands to review and strengthen our collaboration on this front. Also, later this year, KMU Hospital will hold workshops on medical care-related topics for the staff of NRH and provincial hospitals and we hope we can help improve the health sector of Solomon Islands through our collaboration,” he added.
Meanwhile the visitation programme for the delegation for yesterday includes a visit to the Taiwanese Legislative Yuan and a meeting with the Legislative Yuan President, His Excellency Su Jia-chyuan as well as a visit to the Taipei Municipal Government’s Department of Sports.
— OPMC PRESS
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