Opening Remarks at Groundbreaking Ceremony of the Rehabilitation of the Mittaphab Hospital

Excellency Dr. Bounfeng Phoummalaysith, Minister of Health,

Excellency Vladimir A. Kalinin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation

Dr. Sonexay Rajvong, Director of Mittaphab Hospital

Ms. Eda Kraja, UNOPS Country Manager

Ladies and gentlemen:

I am delighted to be here today and join the speakers in congratulating the Government of Lao PDR and partners in reaching this important milestone – the groundbreaking ceremony marking the rehabilitation of Mittaphab Hospital. 

The term ‘rehabilitation’ perhaps does not fully capture the essence of what is envisaged – in fact, the efforts are intended to be significant for providing more inclusive, resilient and sustainable healthcare services in Lao PDR. 

For the last 40 years, Mittaphab Hospital has been providing critical health care services, currently serving over 110,000 patients every year. Over time, with increasing demand and aging infrastructure, the hospital has been in need of critical improvements.

I am pleased to see that improvements planned are both structural and non-structural, with a vision that has several co-benefits:

• First, the hospital will have state-of-the-art facilities for patient-centred care: A broader range of medical services and advanced equipment in the operating theaters, will enable procedures that were previously impossible. Facilities will be revamped expanding the hospital’s capacity to provide surgeries and life-saving treatments. Features to be included are accessible and gender-sensitive, such as the new building for toilets, that ensure access to safe and hygienic spaces for all patients.
• Second, the building will be modern and use energy-efficient systems and climate-resilient design. It is expected that the energy- and water-efficient systems will lower maintenance costs and carbon emissions, allowing savings to be reinvested into other critical healthcare services.
• Third, the hospital will run training programmes in hospital management, hygiene, waste management, infection prevention, and maintenance for hospital administration, staff and health care workers. 

I hope that this important rehabilitation project and its lessons learned set the trend for more improvements in the health care systems in the country. Quality health care is essential for people’s well-being and a productive workforce, and can pave the way for the country to meet its development goals under the 9th National Socio-Economic Development Plan and in progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

COVID-19 showed us how quality health care can be life-saving and how preparedness for future health hazards and other shocks, including disasters, is so absolutely crucial. Climate change, in particular, has increased the frequency and intensity of natural hazards, and we need to be ready and well equipped to tackle these new challenges. 

On this important occasion, let me to express my sincere gratitude to all those who have contributed to this project – the Russian Federation for the generous financial support, the Ministry of Health for its leadership, and the UN Office for Project Services for its technical expertise and strategic management of the process. I very much look forward to the fruition of this partnership in the coming years.

I am confident that, when completed, Mittaphab Hospital will champion quality health care in Laos and be a model to emulate for similar projects in the future.

Thank you, once again, to all the partners who have made today’s ceremony possible, and to those who will work hard to make this project a true success that it deserves to be!

Kob chai lai lai!