国际英语新闻:China-aided hospital building handed over to Laos

VIENTIANE, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- The handover and opening ceremony of the China-aided comprehensive medical building of Lao Military Hospital 103 has been held in Lao capital Vientiane.

"This comprehensive medical building is beautiful with high quality in construction. Many thanks for this precious gift from China at the 70th Anniversary of Lao People's Army," Souliphanh Phetchanthala, director of Hospital 103, said during the ceremony held on Saturday.

The medical building, with a construction area of about 24,000 square meters, is equipped with nearly 300 beds and six operating rooms, and can provide medical treatments for approximately 3,000 outpatients each day.

The medical building is the largest one with the most advanced medical facilities in Lao military hospitals.

After the handover and opening ceremony, medical staffs from both China and Laos conducted an MRI examination for the first patient.

"My mother has been tortured by stomach pain for about 16 years, and we had no clue about that. Until today, we did a nuclear magnetic resonance examination and found a tumor in the rectum. We would never know the cause if this NMR facility was not in place," said Bounmy, the patient's family member.

"We are going to send a number of medical staff to help the Lao military hospital, to teach a local medical team, thus to leave expertise here," said He Wei, head of the Chinese medical team in Laos.

At the ceremony, Khampheth Sisanon, deputy head of the General Logistics Department of the Lao People's Army, said the project will help boost the standard of medical services of Lao army and promote the traditional friendship between Laos and China.

The Lao side expressed gratitude for China's sincere help, and will actively carry out medical cooperation with the Chinese side, and contribute to the development of military relationship between Laos and China, said Khampheth.