Sulayman Samba, permanent secretary at the Department of State for Health and Social Welfare, has lauded the state of cooperation in health between Banjul and Taipei, citing the latest achievements as glaring testimony.

His remarks came on the heels of the visit by the Taiwan Mobile Medical Team, which arrived in the country last Sunday on a two-week long humanitarian medical mission.

PS Samba, who welcomed the medical team on behalf of the secretary of state for Health and Social Welfare, revealed that Taiwan provides subvention for the allowances of the Cuban medical contingent to Banjul and support in combating epidemics.

He also spoke about the twinning agreement between RVTH and Taichung Hospital, which is located 250km from the Taiwanese capital of Taipei. As part of efforts to operationalise the twinning agreement, PS Samba said a delegation of senior officials from the country's main referral hospital recently visited Taiwan, where matters captured in the Banjul pact were discussed. Mr Samba, who was upbeat about the relationship, described the visit as a success, as it prepares the ground for future collaboration.

According to him, the recent state visit by President Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh will go a long way towards broadening the scope of bilateral cooperation between the two countries, noting that health is featured as a key priority in this process.

PS Samba told the Daily Observer that the visit of the mobile medical team sets the stage for the sharing of experiences, which runs to strengthen capacity.

The Taiwan-International Cooperation Development Fund (ICDF)-backed medical team comprises 11 specialists, including nurses and an assistant coordinator.

They have since been deployed to Sulayman Junkung Hospital in Bwiam, Western Region, and are expected to have their next stop, this week, at the AFPRC Hospital in Farafenni, North Bank Region.