TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – President Bernardo Arevalo of Guatemala on Friday (April 12) attended the opening of a Taiwan-funded children’s hospital center.

The new building at the Hospital San Juan de Dios in Guatemala City is meeting the demand for specialized post-natal and child care in Taiwan’s Central American ally, per CNA. Ambassador Miguel Tsao (曹立傑) accompanied the president and the health and transportation ministers on a tour of the new building.

Arevalo mentioned Taiwan’s support in his opening speech, which he posted on his Facebook page. He also said the hospital could help mitigate the impact of poor nutrition on local mothers, as one in every 10 births was premature.

Tsao emphasized the 90 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. During the presidential election campaign last year, Arevalo at one time questioned the need to maintain ties with Taiwan, but he later said that seeking trade with China would not imperil the existing relationship.

The six-story hospital building took 14 months to complete and was designed to withstand strong earthquakes. The center gave enough beds and medical equipment to house 90 newborns, while it also included an independent power supply system and a specialized surgery center.

Separately, Taiwan donated antibiotics and grape sugar since several public hospitals in Guatemala had used up their annual budget for drugs by the end of February.