Press Releases
Signing and Exchange of Notes concerning Grant Aid to the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste "the Project for the Improvement of Guido Valadares National Hospital”
August 14, 2024
On August 14, in Dili, Mr. KOMURA Masahiro, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and H.E. Dr. Bendito dos Santos FREITAS, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, signed and exchanged notes for the Grant Aid "the Project for the Improvement of Guido Valadares National Hospital” (grant amount: 3.93 billion yen).
- Timor-Leste, the first independent county of the 21st century, has been making efforts toward reconstruction from conflicts and consolidation of peace since its independence in 2002. Although the general situation of health indicators has been improving over the twenty-two years after the independence, there remain many cases of death from communicable diseases, while deaths from non-communicable diseases have also been increasing in recent years. Many maternal deaths could have been prevented if appropriate measures had been taken during health checkups and childbirth, and there is still much room for improvement.
- This project aims to improve the level of medical services at the Guido Valadares National Hospital, the only tertiary care facility in the country, by upgrading medical facilities including surgical and perinatal departments and providing related medical equipment, thereby contributing to expansion of social services through the improvement of the country's healthcare system.
(Reference) Basic Data on the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
The country covers approximately 14,900 square kilometers (about the same size as the four metropolitan prefectures of Japan combined) and has a population of approximately 1.34 million people (World Bank 2022 Report). It has a per capita gross national income (GNI) of US$1,980 (World Bank, 2022).