The Chinese Embassy in Seychelles, on behalf of the People’s Republic of China, on Friday, made a donation of 10,000 US dollars to the Ministry of Health as well as a donation of 20,000 US dollars to the Covid-19 Relief Fund.
It was the Chinese Ambassador to the Seychelles, Guo Wei, who presented the checks to the Minister of Health, Peggy Vidot, in a brief ceremony held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Health.
In addition to the financial donations, Ambassador Guo Wei also presented the Ministry with a donation of 200,000 single-use masks on behalf of the China-Seychelles Tourism and Culture Association.
The ceremony was attended by the Director General of the Health Care Agency, Dr. Danny Louange and the Commissioner of Public Health Dr. Jude Gédéon.
Ambassador Guo Wei congratulated the health workers as well as the Ministry of Health for their management of Covid-19 in the country and their dedication over the past two years.
“We understand the difficulty of the Ministry of Health. The Seychelles health authorities have responded well, especially the Seychelles medical staff who have worked for long hours. It is in this sense that we would like to express our greetings and respects for the professionalism and dedication of all these staff,” noted Ambassador Guo Wei.
The ambassador added that the Chinese Embassy and the Chinese people living in Seychelles are part of the population that benefits from Seychelles medical services and therefore the donations are gestures of solidarity and thanks from the Chinese people.
“We have a lot of respect for the Seychelles health authorities because from the beginning you have reacted and taken adequate measures. You follow closely the evolution of the pandemic in the world and in Seychelles, you have mobilized the population to take measures to treat the sick and save lives. So hats off to you,” the ambassador said.
For her part, Minister Vidot was delighted with these donations that will add to the resources to fight against Covid-19 in the country.
The minister also thanked Ambassador Guo Wei for her compliments on the way the Ministry of Health and its employees have handled the pandemic so far.
“I want to express our gratitude for these generous gifts,” she told the ambassador.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has really shaken our country. The health sector had to operate, as you know, at full capacity for several weeks and the need for additional resources because of the pandemic put a lot of pressure on the health budget. Fortunately, the Covid-19 fund set up by President (Wavel) Ramkalawan has provided much needed relief in our plan to combat Covid-19,” the minister said.
Minister Vidot noted that China remains a faithful partner of Seychelles and added that the government of Seychelles is grateful to all those who have contributed to the Covid-19 relief fund.
