Taiwanese Minister Visits, Signs Hospital Donation

Taiwanese Foreign Minister James C. F. Huang visited Costa Rica this week to make official his country’s $15 million gift to the Social Security System (Caja) to construct a new building for San José’s Calderón Guardia Hospital, which suffered major destruction in a fire last year (TT, July 15, 2005).

Huang ceremoniously signed a memorandum for the donation Wednesday at the Foreign Ministry in San José, accompanied by Caja president Eduardo Doryan and Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno.

The donation will pay for the construction of a seven-floor building to house 205 beds and neonatal, gynecology and obstetrics units as well as a cafeteria and a blood lab.

Huang also expressed his support for Costa Rica joining the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, Stagno told the press yesterday. Costa Rica hopes to join the forum next year, he said.