Press Releases
Grant Aid to the Lao People's Democratic Republic: Signing and Exchange of Notes on “the Project for the Improvement of the Referral Hospital in the Southern Region”
December 3, 2025
On December 3 (same day local time), in Vientiane, the capital of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), H.E. Mr. KOIZUMI Tsutomu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and H.E Mrs. Phongsamouth ANLAVAN, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, signed and exchanged notes for "the Project for the Improvement of the Referral Hospital in the Southern Region" (project up to 2.865 billion yen).
- In the Lao PDR, medical facilities capable of accepting critically ill patients are concentrated in the capital city of Vientiane, creating a challenge of significant medical disparities between regions. Champasak Provincial Hospital, located about 700 km south of the capital, serves as a core hospital for the region and receives emergency patients transferred from neighboring provinces. However, the hospital faces serious challenges, such as outdated facilities and equipment, shortages of diagnostic and treatment devices, and insufficient bed capacity. This project aims to upgrade the hospital by constructing a central medical building equipped with emergency, surgical, and intensive care units, along with the necessary equipment, thereby contributing to strengthening of the regional medical system in the four southern provinces.
- In 2025, marking the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Lao PDR, the bilateral relationship was elevated to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”. This project is intended to safeguard the lives and health of the people of the Lao PDR while supporting country’s effort toward autonomous and high-quality economic development. These goals align with the steady implementation of cooperation under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
(Reference) Basic Data on the Lao People's Democratic Republic
The country covers 240,000 square kilometers (about the same size as Japan's main island of Honshu) with a population of approximately 7.77 million people, and its gross national income (GNI) per capita is US$2,000 (2024, World Bank).