STORY: Pak-China Friendship Hospital brings lifesaving relief and hope in Pakistan's Gwadar
SHOOTING TIME: Nov. 1, 2024
DATELINE: Nov. 4, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:45
LOCATION: Islamabad
CATEGORY: HEALTH

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Pak-China Friendship Hospital
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): AFFAN FAIQ ZADA, Medical superintendent of the Pak-China Friendship Hospital
3. various of the Pak-China Friendship Hospital
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Urdu): SHAZIA ALI, Gynecologist of the Pak-China Friendship Hospital
5. various of the Pak-China Friendship Hospital
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): LIAN WENYONG, Maintenance engineer for the hospital

STORYLINE:

A China-donated hospital in Gwadar of Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province is making a significant impact on the local community.

The Pak-China Friendship Hospital, inaugurated in May this year with 100 beds, includes emergency, outpatient, inpatient, medical technology, administration, and logistics facilities.

The hospital receives approximately 900 patients daily from Gwadar and the surrounding areas. 
As a livelihood project under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the hospital's state-of-the-art building, consisting of single and multi-story structures, and its advanced medical equipment, including a modern laboratory, CT scanners, and ultrasound machines, have been generously donated by the Chinese government.

Some of the hospital's facilities are integrated with an existing 50-bed hospital in the city, creating a combined operation of 150 beds. The new hospital complex includes outpatient services, medical technology departments, and ward buildings, all supported by China.
Speaking to Xinhua, Affan Faiq Zada, the hospital's medical superintendent, said that it transforms healthcare access in the region.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): AFFAN FAIQ ZADA, Medical superintendent of the Pak-China Friendship Hospital
"There was nothing in the past, to be frank, and to be honest, there were not even basic facilities. There were no specialized healthcare services. People had to travel long distances to avail such quality healthcare services. I would like to thank China for this. They have provided all the state-of-the-art medical equipment that includes, but is not limited to the CT scan, the digital X-rays, and the advanced medical lab facilities. They are all treated and managed here. We have seen drastic improvements in the health outcomes here. This hospital has been a blessing for the local community."

The hospital has been widely praised throughout the district, gaining a reputation for its excellent services. Patients from neighboring districts also come for medical treatment.

According to patients and doctors at the hospital, the Pak-China Friendship Hospital has transformed healthcare in the region, offering top-tier services that were once inaccessible to the local population, and became a symbol of the strong partnership between China and Pakistan by providing much-needed relief and hope to the community.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Urdu): SHAZIA ALI, Gynecologist of the Pak-China Friendship Hospital
"I'm very thankful to China and Chinese people for building such a beautiful hospital with high quality and speed. I am glad to have a hospital with such a high level of medical care and equipped with such good equipment. I believe the level of diagnosis and treatment in the hospital's obstetrics and gynecology department will become higher and higher in the future."

Lian Wenyong, an engineer for the hospital's maintenance from the project's Chinese constructor, said that the Chinese constructor also provides a two-year warranty service for this donated project to Gwadar.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): LIAN WENYONG, Maintenance engineer for the hospital
"We actively cooperate with them. We are on call at any time to provide timely maintenance and repairs so that Gwadar people can better enjoy medical services."

Launched in 2013, CPEC, the flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is a corridor linking the Gwadar Port in southwest Pakistan's Balochistan province with Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which highlights energy, transport, and industrial cooperation and is expanding to the fields of agriculture and livelihood, among others.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Islamabad.
(XHTV)