Japanese aid program equips Georgian medics
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Georgia has received advanced medical equipment from Japan under a project aiming to equip hospitals and medical centres in the country with a range of technology to serve their patients.
Earlier today, a formal ceremony of handing over the equipment was held at Tbilisi’s National Training Centre.
The package of the grant aid handed over to Georgia includes technology intended for digital tomography and radiography. It involves advanced mobile surgical equipment, defibrillating tools and more.
The aid handed to the Georgian side has been used to equip three medical venues in the country. Photo: Georgia's Health Ministry press office.
The aid was used for equipping Tbilisi’s Universal Medical Centre and Emergency Medical Assistance Service venues as well as the Batumi Clinical Republican Hospital in Georgia’s west.
Beside the hospital and medical service centres, the transferred equipment was used for equipping emergency vehicles for regional service, with over 130 defibrillators handed to their crews.
Today’s handover occasion was attended at the training centre by officials including the Minister of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia David Sergeenko and Ambassador of Japan to Georgia Toshio Kaitani.
Georgian regional ambulance vehicles have been equipped with defibrillation equipment provided by Japan. Photo: Georgia's Health Ministry press office.
The event signified a milestone for the 500 million Japanese Yen (about 10.9 million GEL/$4.4 million) grant agreement signed by the two governments in 2014.
It is the latest in series of projects involving aid and technical cooperation offered to Georgia by Japan within the country’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) program.
The overall extent of the ODA program assistance to Georgia has exceeded $410 million and covers infrastructural, environmental and social sectors.
In a bid to attract 3.5 billion GEL in investments for infrastructure projects over the next four years, Georgia plans to seek aid from Japanese financial institutions.
Japan is supporting Georgia’s transformation into a regional transport and logistics hub by offering the country $38 million USD.
The Japanese government will grant 100 million Japanese Yen (1.5 million GEL) to Georgia to buy equipment and techniques necessary for identifying the risks of natural disasters in the country.
Georgia’s business environment has an excellent reputation worldwide and Japanese companies are attracted to the country, says Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobuo Kishi.
Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida revealed Japan’s plans to simplify visa procedures for Georgian citizens as well as to promote Georgia among Japanese tourists so that the two countries develop close connections.
The agency capital is 7 trillion 925.3 billion yen, based on official data of 2015, which is more than 72 billion USD. The agency’s foreign aid exceeds 10 billion USD annually.
The Japanese government and the corporation Mitsubishi have gifted 96 hybrid and electric cars to Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. In his speech delivered today at a special ceremony in Tbilisi, Kvirikashvili thanked the Japanese government, the Embassy of Japan to Georgia and the Mitsubishi corporation for the "very significant” gift.