New Japanese donation to Serbian healthcare

BELGRADE - Japanese Ambassador to Serbia Masafumi Kuroki and Serbia's Minister without Portfolio in charge of EU integration Jadranka Joksimovic have signed a Japanese donation for buying EUR 720,000 worth of medical equipment, the Japanese embassy has stated.

Through this donation, Japan will provide medical equipment for hospitals, which includes an endoscopic system, diagnostic ultrasound system and digital x-ray, and this equipment will help improve the health of the Serbian people, Kuroki said at the signing ceremony on Monday.

He believes the people from the areas hit by this year's floods will also get better healthcare with this equipment, according to the statement from the Japanese embassy.

The Japanese government has so far donated EUR 26 million to the Serbian healthcare, including mammographs, ambulances and EKG machines for hospitals throughout Serbia.

A Serbian saying says that a healthy man has a million desires, while a sick man has only one, to get better, and this donation is Japan's contribution to achieving that one desire, Kuroki said, adding that he hoped this latest donation would help strengthen the friendly relations between Japan and Serbia even further.

Healthcare is one of the priorities of Japan's cooperation with Serbia, says the statement, adding that Japan's total donations to Serbia since 1999 now stand at around EUR 460 million.

Photo Tanjug, T. Valic (archive photo)