The diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in the Western African country of Liberia are expected to be elevated with the assistance of a major hospital from Northeast China, following the signing of an agreement for a bilateral medical cooperation project.

The project is an implementation of China's pledge to establish a cooperation mechanism for its hospitals to pair up with 30 African hospitals to help the continent ramp up its disease preparedness and control capacity, which was announced by President Xi Jinping at the opening of the 73rd World Health Assembly in May 2020.

China would like to share its experience with the Liberian people and provide assistance within its own capacity so that the Liberian people can pursue a better life, Xu Kun, charge d'affaires at the Chinese embassy in Liberia, said at the signing of the cooperative project agreement between Heilongjiang Provincial Hospital and Liberia's John F. Kennedy Memorial Referral Hospital, in the Liberian capital Monrovia on Friday.

Xu, who represented the hospital at the signing ceremony, named the project the JFK Internal Cardiovascular Medicine Department Cooperative Project. Through the project, Heilongjiang Provincial Hospital will help the Liberian hospital build an advanced cardiovascular medical center with an independent medical team comprising local doctors and nurses.

The medical team will include 12 hospital beds, four cardiologists and four professional nurses, and it will effectively improve the accuracy of diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases as well as the ability to rescue emergency and severe cases in the country, he said.

China will also provide equipment such as ventilators, oxygen and surgical masks, as well as antimalarial drugs to the hospital, as part of its aid to Liberia.

Norwu Howard, Liberia's deputy health minister, thanked the Chinese hospital for the partnered hospital cooperation project with Liberia at the signing ceremony.