DUSHANBE, December 18, 2012, Asia-Plus – An additional loan agreement on the Dangara General Hospital Project was signed in Vienna, Austria at the end of last week.
According to the Tajik MFA information department, the document was inked by Mr. Imomuddin Sattorov, Tajik Ambassador to Germany and Mr. Suleiman Jasir Al-Herbish, Director General of the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID).
Under this agreement OFID provides additional 2.8 million U.S. dollars for providing the central district hospital under construction in the Danghara district with modern medical equipment.
It is to be noted that the OFID Governing Board on December 14 approved 22 loans and grants totaling nearly US$300 million to boost socio-economic development in 23 partner countries. The bulk of the public sector loans will co-finance projects aimed at enhancing the transportation and energy sectors of the recipient countries, as well as the agriculture, education and health sectors, including the Dangara General Hospital Project in Tajikistan.
OFID finances construction of a 150-bed, 9,000 square meters general hospital in Danghara. The facility will contain specialty departments such as pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, cardiology and internal medicine, as well as emergency and intensive care units. A full range of modern equipment and supplies will be purchased and an initial stock of medication provided for the hospital’s first year of operation. In addition, training programs will be offered to locally- recruited medical specialists and institutional strengthening measures implemented.
Established by the Member Countries of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 1976, the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), with headquarters in Vienna, Austria is a multilateral development finance institution. Its objective is to reinforce financial cooperation between OPEC Member Countries and other developing countries, by providing financial support to the latter for their socio-economic development. The resources of OFID are also used to provide grants for food aid, technical assistance, research and similar intellectual activities. One of the institution”s central aims is to advance South-South solidarity. The current Director-General of OFID is Mr. Suleiman Jasir Al-Herbish of Saudi Arabia.
