JAPAN provided US$62,628 under its grassroots grant assistance program for the purchase of equipment at a hospital in Mindat in Chin State, according to a statement released by the Japanese embassy in Yangon.

The grant contract was signed on February 14 by Mr Tetsuro Amano, the counsellor and deputy chief of mission at the embassy, and Dr Nyi Nyi Min, the medical superintendent and district medical officer of Mindat.

The statement said the money will be used to buy a wide range of equipment, including suction machines, an ultrasound, a boiling sterilizer, a patient monitor, two generators and office equipment for the production of health education materials.

“The government of Japan expects that the assistance will contribute to the improvement of the hospital’s medical service, which will be of benefit for the patients in the area,” the statement said.

It also said the hospital will be upgraded to a 100-bed facility from its current 50 beds to provide better healthcare for the area’s growing population.