TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Amid questions from the Kuomintang (KMT) over an MOU signed between Taiwan and the Czech Republic to provide aid to Ukraine, a Czech official explained the program on Tuesday (May 14).
KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) on May 5 leaked information about the MOU and questioned whether certain Taiwanese companies would be awarded contracts for medical supplies based on political favoritism. Tomas Kopecny, the Czech government's special envoy for Ukraine reconstruction, told CNA that the “Aid to Ukraine” project will provide health care services to 120,000 Ukrainians and the NGO the Czech Health Technology Institute (CHTI) will select the Taiwanese contractors.
On Tuesday, Kopecny was interviewed by CNA over the Taiwan-Czech MOU project on Ukraine assistance worth US$10 million (NT$322 million). When asked how the project can help Ukraine, Kopecky said that Russia's ongoing aggression against the country has had a devastating impact on its healthcare and health insurance system.
Kopechny said the Ukrainian government has made restoring and maintaining primary health care a top priority. Therefore, the operation of frontline medical facilities is crucial, otherwise, transporting patients to inland hospitals would take a long time and could lead to medical capacity being overloaded.
Aid to Ukraine provides comprehensive healthcare, day surgeries, and gynecological services, offering primary healthcare services to up to 120,000 Ukrainians in the Kharkiv region, said Kopechny. The current needs of the Kharkiv region are the most urgent; therefore, the Ukrainian authorities are very grateful, he added.
When asked what the basis was for designating the CHTI as the executor to undertake bilateral cooperation plans, Kopechny said that the non-profit organization is in a "unique position” as the project integrator of the largest association of medical materials and equipment manufacturers in the Czech Republic. The CHTI can integrate multiple medical equipment manufacturers to streamline and expedite emergency rescue operations, he said.
Kopecky also mentioned that the selection of specific Taiwanese companies to participate is entirely up to the main executor, which in this project is the CHTI. He said the organization has been in contact with Taiwanese partners in the healthcare field multiple times, including participating in seminars and exhibitions.
Through face-to-face discussions, both sides can explore collaborative projects together, such as the current aid project for Ukraine, said Kopecky.
The following video introduces the Aid to Ukraine program:
