 occasion to stand here today with very mixed feelings about where we are. The reason why the feelings are mixed is primarily because this project should have been completed a long time ago. For many reasons known and unknown, this hospital project remains incomplete after 10 years from the date of the fire. Upon assuming office in 2016, our government undertook a review of the ongoing St. Jude Hospital reconstruction project. A technical audit was commissioned and from the findings of that technical audit, we realized that there were serious problems in the planning and execution of this very important project. Among the findings was to be able to meet the requirements of a level 4 hospital. The construction posed a challenge because while the buildings look like they are good, they are good buildings construction-wise but not adequately designed to accommodate a level 4 hospital. Upon this, the government had to make a decision. A substantial amount of money was required to complete the project as is without admitting the standards that would be required. Or we were called upon to either go back to the drawing board, reconfigure a project that would meet the demands of the next 20 to 30 years, especially with the development program of the government for the south of the island. And while much had gone into this project, we were caught between a rock and a hard place in saving as much of the project as possible because of the many generous donations that had been made, the sacrifices from friendly governments, and that included the Republic of China on Taiwan, who had committed a 20 million US dollar loan towards the completion of this facility. After careful consideration, sometimes as politicians you are faced with a difficult decision. Do you make a political decision or do you make the right decision? Because sometimes political decisions are not always the right decisions. It may be politically expedient to do something, but not necessarily the best decision. And so after several consultations between the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, the consultants, and everybody who was involved, we decided that this project must be reconfigured to meet the requirements of a level for hospital. And so we undertook the task of developing a state of the art hospital for the south of the island. The St. Jude reconstruction project will deliver a 90 bed facility that will cater for both inpatient and outpatient services. The project will involve the construction of a new wing to incorporate all functions and services of the existing east and surgical wings of the existing facility. Integration through retrofitting of some of the existing buildings to achieve a fully functioning hospital to match the services of a level for facility. And also revision of the internal layout of the buildings to be integrated for functional compliance and minimum standards. Now it is important for us to understand this. Because of the level of expenditure, we could not abandon the existing buildings. So what we decided is to see what kind of services can be integrated so areas like the kitchen, the laundry, the storage, and a number of other components of the existing building will be connected to the new wings that are being built so that we can use as much of the facility as possible and put to good use the resources that have been used on the existing structure. The hospital will provide a total area of 13,232 square meters and for those of you who may want to do the conversion, you can just multiply that by 11 for easy calculation or 10. So we would be in the region of 145,000 square feet of new building space when the new St. Jude facility is completed. It would include five blocks. Bloxy would involve would include the pharmacy dental, accidental emergency diagnostic imagery, maternity, staff terrace, national intensive care unit, intensive care unit, not national but neonatal intensive care unit, intensive care unit operating theater and general accesses. So that is in block C, block D, ophthalmology, waiting area, primary care, children and adolescent counseling, triage, gynecology ward and medical wards. Block E, accident and emergency, on-call accommodation, non-communicable disease, social services, security office, minor surgery and pediatric ward. Block F, diagnostic imagery, clinical labs, waiting area, central sterile services department, surgical ward and so forth. And block G would be the main reception area. So in the new areas that we are building, these are the areas that will be accommodated in the new blocks that are being built. The rest would be fitted into the existing structures that are there. The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Economic Development and also the main contractor on the project is OECC, a well-recognized Taiwanese contracting firm with a vast area of experiences whether in road construction or in hospital construction. And we believe that with the combination of our local contractors and the OECC that we are going to deliver the hospital in a timely manner. I heard the chairman said one year we have not given a time span. So that's the chairman saying, do not hold the government to this one year, but we will deliver this facility in a timely manner. On behalf of the government and people of St. Lucia, we must express special gratitude to the Republic of China on Taiwan and who best to convey our regards than the president to the wonderful people of Taiwan for your support throughout the years. The first phase of the project is being done through the use of the first 10 million dollars which was not drawn down from the previous 20 million dollars loan. And the other 20 million for the financing is coming from the new financing arrangement that has been negotiated between the government and the Republic of China on Taiwan. I am confident that with this project after the groundbreaking or the short turning today it will be non-stop work until we have delivered this project completed and within budget to the people of St. Lucia. On behalf of all of us here and the rest of St. Lucia, we thank you Madam President for your support and your continued collaboration between Taiwan and St. Lucia. And I look forward to a very good relationship, working relationship with OECC and St. Lucia to deliver what we have promised the people. I thank you and God bless you. My presence here this morning is testament to my total confidence in the government and people of Taiwan. The St. Jun Hospital is not just a hospital in the south of the island that will serve the people, tourists, family, friends and foreigners. It is not just under the necessary project. It is not just a project that we have waited long and spent millions of scarce dollars to complete. No, it is not. It is a monument of faith. It is a monument of hope. It is a monument of charity to the people of St. Lucia. Faith is that the God we serve must have seen the catastrophic effects of the fire that was wield on a structure much in need of repair and replacement and the people with little and insufficient funds to do so. With that faith, the people of this country kept the dream of a new St. Jude alive hoping that someday their long-awaited dream will be realized to rebuild the St. Jun Hospital. And today, the good Samaritan that the government and people of Taiwan are and has always been is here in the person of no other than the President herself, the President of the People's Republic of China on Taiwan, Your Excellency President Tsai, to deliver this most worthy gift to my government and the most esteemed people of St. Lucia. You know, as a small island developing state, it is not often, if ever, that we get to engage in activities of such grandeur. But because we have a visionary prime minister, an innovative prime minister, who's always seeking better opportunities for our people, over the past few years under his leadership, Madam President, our country has been able to embrace a new modus operandi and bring home friendly partners such as yourself. I, for one, never in my wildest dreams could think of this day when one of a select few women presidents in this world coming out of a country with a population of about 24 million people would grace our shores. And to top it all, to participate in the swarming ceremony of a long-awaited gem. This is truly an honor and a privilege. I say today is a great day and a blessing has been bestowed on our lovely Helen. At a time when the sustainable development goals require that women break the glass ceiling, it is of paramount importance that women recognize their emancipation through economic independence and social mobility. President Wong depicts that essence of that requirement and forces us women in positions of power to deliver, not only for ourselves, but also for those who may otherwise not be in a position to represent themselves and for those who do not have a voice. I had work in patients, doctors, nurses, staff at St. Jude Hospital, the patients who have walked, and those who have been carried through the corridors of the George Audlam Stadium on a daily basis. And the people of St. Lucia, to borrow from a common phrase from the region, your new St. Jude Hospital will soon come. I wish to take this opportunity to thank you President Wong and the government and people of China on Taiwan for choosing to bestow this valuable gift, this most valuable and precious gift to our country, and to celebrate with us on this momentous occasion. I thank you very much for being here with us. Exchanges between Taiwan and St. Lucia have grown even closer over the past two years, as Prime Minister Shastane has visited Taiwan three times, and today I am delighted to be visiting St. Lucia for the first time at the invitation of the Prime Minister. Since we resumed diplomatic relations in 2007, St. Lucia has been a staunch ally in the Caribbean. Over the past years, Taiwan and St. Lucia have launched many important cooperation projects with the support of Prime Minister Shastane. Healthcare has been an area of particular note. Changhua Christian Hospital and St. Jude Hospital have become sister hospitals, and we have maintained frequent and meaningful exchanges of medical technology and healthcare personnel over the years. Taiwan's medical teams are often lauded for the work they do, and on my state visits I often make a point of visiting hospitals to learn about the results of our medical programs. This is because Taiwan's soft power in healthcare and medicine is renowned internationally. Through exchanges and mutual assistance programs with our diplomatic allies, we can truly help those in need. I believe that this is really putting into practice the spirit of our policy of steadfast diplomacy and mutual assistance for mutual benefit. St. Jude Hospital suffered from an unfortunate fire in 2009, aside from expressing our sympathies we have long hoped to support the hospital's renovation, as this would improve healthcare quality. Since taking office, Prime Minister Shastane has pushed hard for improvements to St. Jude Hospital. Through the combined efforts of both our governments and public-private partnership, we can finally begin to realize the dreams that the people of St. Lucia have looked forward to for such a long time. So I find it especially meaningful to be participating in the groundbreaking ceremony for St. Jude Hospital's renovation, and delighted to be able to witness this important moment alongside distinguished guests and the people of St. Lucia today. This redevelopment will not only improve healthcare quality for people in the southern part of St. Lucia, but also contribute toward the UN SDG of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages. I am confident that once construction is complete, St. Lucia's overall healthcare system will be further strengthened. In recent years, the Republic of China, Taiwan, and St. Lucia have engaged in many important cooperative initiatives in such areas as infrastructure, agriculture, ICT, and education, yielding very positive results. I hope that through these kinds of cooperation projects, we can benefit the people of both our nations. This is the most important role of my journey of democracy, freedom, and sustainability. Thank you. On behalf of the government and the people of St. Lucia, let me first present side formally and publicly welcome you to our beautiful country, and to let you know how delighted we are to have you here, and you've accepted our invitation at this time to visit us. Your current tour of the United States and the Caribbean is intended to demonstrate the importance of Taiwan places on its Caribbean allies and the continued friendly ties we share. We in St. Lucia welcome the opportunity to be associated with this agenda. As a government, we have over the last three years greatly deepened our ties with your country, and we have broadened the areas of cooperation. Taiwan has been instrumental in the development of our country in many areas, and it's our hope that this visit will give an opportunity to show our gratitude and appreciation and share our country's beauty and culture with you. The fact that this is the third visit of a President of the Republic of China Taiwan to St. Lucia in 11 years signifies the depth of the friendship shared by our two countries and the values which we both cherish and pursue. The Republic of China Taiwan is a special frame, and mainly because of the shared values that I just referred to. The values of mutual respect and the promotion of democracy, freedom and the right to self-determination, all of which have been endorsed by United Nations. It is most fitting, Madam President, that the first official engagement of your visit should be taking place in the part of the island which has been the focus of my government, that I have the honor to lead and become a major center of development in the coming years. That is the South. This sawturning ceremony is for the redevelopment of a hospital that was destroyed by fire nearly 10 years ago. The initial attempt at reconstruction had not, we regret to say, been successful. In fact, it has produced very disappointing results. But this town of U4 needs and deserves a modern hospital to serve this southern part of the island. And this is what we are embarking on today. This project must be completed once and for all. It would be remiss of me, however, if I did not on this occasion express St. Lucia's thanks to the government of the people of Republic of China on Taiwan for the invaluable support they have been given to our efforts to rebuild this hospital ever since the fire of 2009. Almost from day one, your country, Madam President, has been in the forefront of providing grant and loan assistance to St. Lucia to finance and rebuild what we have had, but we've had a series of setbacks and challenges along the way. We've caused frustration to both our governments and, more importantly, to our people, as well as to those who have offered a hand in helping us cope with the fallout from the disastrous fire. Notwithstanding this, we are motivated to deliver to the people and it is because our resolve is to rebuild this hospital in a strong, that is strong, and that we are gathered here today. As such, government has appointed the OECC to be the main contractor to build this project. And given their experience in construction and the building of hospitals, we are confident that we will deliver this project on time and within budget. We must also, on this occasion, recognize the technical assistance given to St. Jude by Taiwan over the years in providing medical personnel who have carried out volunteer work. Let me repeat that. Volunteer work here and while at the same time passing on their invaluable skills to our own people, doctors, nurses, and hospital staff, enabling them to better serve the wider public. This form of assistance can never be quantified in terms of dollars. As we have heard today, the St. Jude's Hospital Reconstruction Project will result in a 90-bed facility that will cater for both inpatient and outpatient services. It will comprise a new wing to incorporate all the functions and services of the existing east and surgical wings. Interconnected two-story structures to be erected on the left-hand side of the entrance to the existing site. Integration through retrofitting of some existing buildings to achieve a fully functional hospital to match the services of a Level 4 facility. And revision of the internal layout and buildings to be integrated for functional efficiency and compliance to minimum standards. When completed sometime next year, we hope to have in this area a hospital that will erase the unfortunate sad memories of the last 10 years that resulted in St. Jude having to operate from a sports stadium, which despite being a convenient alternative at the time, that continue to offer the public excellent services nevertheless constrained the staff while depriving athletes the use of a facility that was built exclusively for them. I would like to place on record my government's appreciation for the patience and cooperation of the doctors nurses and the staff of St. Jude these very during these very difficult 10 years and to promise them that we are now beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Let me also keep the faith and look to the future with confidence. I now invite her Excellency President Tsai to join me in breaking the ground to symbolically mark the start of the St. Jude Hospital Reconstruction project. Thank you.