Aerial view of community centers in Antigua and Barbuda designed by SIPPR [Photo/sh-jingjing.com]

Two community centers in Antigua and Barbuda, included in a foreign aid project designed and managed by SIPPR Engineering Group Co (SIPPR), a subsidiary of Sinomach, have been completed and accepted by the Ministry of Commerce. The project was rated as a “High Quality Project” and the management work of the project team was also highly recognized.

Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, and Molwyn Joseph, Minister of Health and the Environment, inspected the polyclinic and facilities of the civic service center of the project as well as its completion and acceptance work. They were accompanied by local government officials, medical experts, members of parliament and journalists.

Browne and Joseph expressed their respect to the on-site staff of the project team and spoke highly of their outstanding performance. They also hailed their ability to deliver a high quality project on time in the grim novel coronavirus situation in the Americas.

The thank-you note written by Browne [Photo/sh-jingjing.com]

Browne wrote a thank-you note to the project team for their hard work during the inspection tour, and noted that the project is a precious gift from China to Antigua and Barbuda that provides the infrastructure necessary for local people to access basic medical services, public health services and community service activities.

Joseph said that the country has been suffering from a chronic shortage of medical facilities to the point that residents’ basic medical services are insecure. The polyclinic of the project assisted by China is a targeted approach to help local people out of their plight, he added.

The two community centers set up to help Antigua and Barbuda cover community clinics, community service centers and supporting facilities. The polyclinic equipped with advanced medical facilities has greatly improved the local medical infrastructure, enabling medics to treat common diseases such as cardiopathy and nephropathy and making medical treatment on nearby islands more convenient.

The polyclinic is capable of conducting nucleic acid testing, which will effectively alleviate the medical pressure of epidemic prevention and control in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Local mainstream news agencies such as ABSTV, THE DAILY OBSERVER, POINT EXPRESS and ANTIGUA NEWS ROOM gave a positive appraisal of the project and underscored its significance for the social development of Antigua and Barbuda, presenting China's foreign aid project in a favorable light.