The International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), the nation’s main foreign aid agency, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Lviv, Ukraine, to help modernize two of its hospitals, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
The agreement on “Smart Healthcare Enhancement” was signed on Tuesday in a hybrid format, with TaiwanICDF Secretary-General Huang Yu-lin (黃玉霖) in Taipei and Lviv officials in the Lviv City Council session hall.
The MOU would pave the way for the launch of a Taiwan-funded project aimed at enhancing the emergency departments and intensive care units of St Panteleimon Hospital and St Nicholas Children’s Hospital by integrating hardware, software and artificial intelligence-driven information systems.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The project would also provide professional training for medical and information technology personnel at the hospitals to benefit Lviv’s 720,000 residents, the ministry said.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) witnessed the signing ceremony in Taipei. The parties to the MOU included TaiwanICDF, the Lviv City Government, the First Medical Union of Lviv and the UNBROKEN Foundation, with Representative to Poland Jeff Liu (劉永健) also witnessing the event.
Wu said Taiwan leverages its strengths in smart healthcare and the health industry to promote the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project with partners who share the values of democracy and freedom, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Taiwan has stood shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, he said.
The renovated rehabilitation building at the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center in Lviv was named the “Taiwan Friendship Building,” serving as a key symbol of Taiwan’s unwavering support for Ukraine, he said.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi expressed gratitude for Taiwan’s support and friendship at the signing ceremony, which came a day after Ukraine celebrated the 35th anniversary of its independence.
Amid Russian aggression, precious lives continue to be lost, but Ukraine remains firm in protecting its independence, fighting unceasingly for freedom, he said, adding that Ukraine deeply treasures the friendships proven in times of adversity.
Huang said Ukraine has demonstrated remarkable courage and resilience to the world.
Taiwan understands that resilience means not only weathering a crisis, but also adapting to changing circumstances, rebuilding homes and creating possibilities, he said.
Ugandan immigration authorities have returned the passports of four Taiwanese after withholding the travel documents at Entebbe International Airport, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said yesterday. After hearing about the incident, the ministry immediately instructed its representative office in Somaliland, which is responsible for affairs involving Uganda, to closely monitor the situation and work with the Uganda Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce to communicate with the authorities there, Hsiao said. The passports were returned to their holders on Wednesday local time, he said. The incident followed an earlier incident in which Ugandan immigration officials withheld the passports of two Taiwanese at
A fire and subsequent explosion in a residential area in Tainan early yesterday injured 15 people and damaged 68 homes, the Tainan City Fire Bureau said. The bureau said it received a report at 1:12am yesterday that a pile of waste in a vacant lot in Annan District’s (安南) Haidian Road had caught fire and exploded, adding that it dispatched 144 firefighters and 53 firetrucks to battle the blaze and evacuate nearby residents. It took more than four hours to extinguish the fire, it said. The incident damaged 11 privately owned vehicles, as well as eight fire engines, one ambulance and two disaster
DELUGE: The Tainan City Government requested five mobile water pumps from the central government to supplement the 511 pumps it had already prepared Torrential rain caused by the combined effects of southwesterly winds and a low-pressure belt battered southern Taiwan yesterday, causing widespread flooding across Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung County. More than 2,300 people were evacuated as authorities warned of continued heavy rain through tomorrow. Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung County yesterday announced that work and classes would remain suspended today for the second consecutive day amid heavy rain and flooding. Chiayi, Hualien and Taitung counties later last night also announced that work and classes would be canceled today. The Kaohsiung City Government said it expected cumulative rainfall over the five-day period of the low-pressure system to
The much-anticipated domestic travel subsidies, designed to encourage people to travel on weekdays, are to become available on Sept. 1. The expanded domestic tourism subsidy program, which has a NT$3.33 billion (US$104.31 million) budget, was scheduled to launch in April, but was delayed due to the stalled review of the central government general budget. The legislature approved the plan on Friday last week. People can begin registering for accommodation subsidies and birthday travel vouchers from yesterday. Travelers visiting destinations in Taiwan proper would receive a rebate of NT$800 for the first night and an additional NT$1,200 for the second night. Those traveling to