China Eximbank provides RMB 361 million government concessional loan for Mobile Hospital Project

Project narrative

In 2010, China Eximbank and the Zambia Ministry of Finance signed an RMB 361 million (USD $53 million) government concessional loan (GCL) agreement for the Mobile Hospital Project. The GCL carried the following terms: a 15 year maturity, a 5 year grace period, a 2% interest rate, a 0.075% commitment fee, and a 1% management fee. This project supported the acquisition of 9 sets of mobile hospitals and 150 emergency ambulances. One mobile hospital was assigned to each of country’s 9 provinces. Each mobile hospital included a fleet of seven vehicles, including an operating theater, a laboratory, an X-ray unit, and a pharmacy vehicle. Each mobile hospital had at least 35 health workers, including a surgeon, physician, anesthetist, pharmacist, dentist, eye specialist, nurses, and laboratory technologists. Once the mobile hospitals arrived in a given location, they provided curative healthcare services for 7 days. The purpose of Mobile Hospital Project was to facilitate the purchase of medical facilities, spare parts, and medical consumables, and provide relevant trainings and services. Its ultimate objective was to provide equitable access to quality healthcare to the people in remote and hard-to-reach areas. China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC), which was later renamed AVIC International, was the contractor responsible for project implementation. This project was completed when all mobile hospitals became operational in 2011. Then, between 2011 and 2013, AVIC International provided free support and maintenance for the mobile hospitals as part of its sale contract. By 2014, the mobile medical service had reached 9 provinces, 76 regions, and 491,120 patients. It had also performed 25,611 surgeries.