Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

On the morning of June 27 at 8:30 a.m. Panama time (9:30 p.m. Taipei time), President Tsai Ing-wen's first overseas diplomatic trip continued with a ceremony, on the first floor of her hotel, to donate flu medicine to the Panama government.

After the master of ceremonies announced the commencement of the event, Taiwan's Minister of Foreign Affairs David T. Lee (李大維) delivered the flu medicine to Panama's Minister of Health Miguel Mayo, who then presented a certificate of appreciation in return. President Tsai then delivered remarks in which she stated that flu has always been a big health problem for mankind, especially for people with weak resistance, such as the very young and the very old. Failure to prevent flu, she said, can put one's life at risk.

President Tsai stressed that Taiwan's health authorities have had to expend enormous efforts in the past to deal with SARS and H1N1 outbreaks, so we naturally felt very sympathetic when Panama was recently hit by an H1N1 outbreak of its own. Disease control takes tremendous perseverance, and health authorities need to proactively address the challenge by educating the public and administering vaccination programs. By donating 3,000 boxes of flu medicine, said the president, Taiwan hopes to help Panama fight the outbreak. She said she will also ask the proper authorities in Taiwan to engage in exchanges with the Panama government in epidemic control experiences and other health issues.

President Tsai remarked that one's true attitude shows in times of trouble. As a good friend of Panama's, said the president, she is happy to stand witness to an instance of friendly cooperation between Taiwan and Panama, and feels confident that so long as everyone works together, Panama will be able to quickly resolve its current outbreak.