Mbabane: Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Thuli Dladla has heaped praises for the Kingdom’s long-time friend, Taiwan for having sent doctors to the country who are assisting in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The doctors have been deployed to the Lubombo Referral Hospital in Siteki and have proved instrumental in ensuring that an increasing number of the patients recover from the virus. The country has recorded 87 recoveries. The country stands with 208 confirmed cases and 2 deaths.
The doctors arrived in a chartered plane through the KM III Airport on May 2 and comprised of Lin Yu-Hsuan who is an Intensive Care Unit nurse, Li, Hsin-Ya who is a Respiratory Therapist, Li-Yhan Chen an Infection Control specialist, and as Kevin Shu-Leung Lai, who is a Pulmonary Intensive Care specialist.
On arrival the doctors were led by Chief of Taiwan Medical Mission in the country Dr Tu and Liao, Say-Tsung who is the Director of Taiwan Medical Mission Rheumatology. Their role would be to fill in the skills gaps that had been identified through improving clinical management of COVID-19 cases at Lubombo Referral Hospital and other centres through fine-tuning treatment protocols. They also assist in training the COVID-19 team at Lubombo Referral hospital and other regional hospitals in addition to advising the public health team to inform the direction of the COVID-19 response according to the evidence of cases confirmed daily.
Dladla said the alliance between the two states was started by the late King Sobhuza II in post-independence, and has borne fruits leading the minister to wonder what progress the country would make if it was not for the relationship.
Other recent efforts made by Taiwan as the pandemic intensified in the country are a donation of 60 000 surgical masks, 7 thermal imaging cameras and 3 ventilators, at an event held at the Republic’s Embassy in Mbabane. This is in addition to 20,653 items which included splash gowns, surgical gowns, gloves, mop caps, shoe covers, and alcohol disinfectants.
The country continues to see the steep increase in number of COVID-19 cases as three more have been confirmed taking the number to 208.
Taiwan Ambassador to the country Jeremy Liang said that Taiwan will continue assisting the country through the pandemic and will not rest until the dust has settled.
Tsai Ing’s inauguration
Meanwhile, His Majesty King Mswati III noted his regrets for not being able to attend that country’s president, Tsai Ing’s inauguration who assumed her second term in office on yesterday, May 19, all due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has stalled even international movements. The king said this in his congratulatory note to the president yesterday.
Said the king; “On behalf of the entire nation of Eswatini, allow me to extend our fondest regards, even though I do so while we are miles apart due to the coronavirus pandemic that has spread throughout the world and prevented me from attending the inauguration of Her Excellency as returning President of Taiwan. I send this message to join the people of Taiwan in congratulating you for the peaceful election and the confidence shown by the people in trusting the president with a second term in office.”
His Majesty noted that the confidence shown by the people of Taiwan in the president was drawn from the successes she had managed to achieve during her first term in various sectors such as the economy, social, education, ICT and many others and that Eswatini would learn a lot from Taiwan.
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