Chinese government funds design of Puyo Hospital project through ETCA (Linked to Record ID#88148 and #88174)

Project narrative

On September 9, 2009, the governments of China and Ecuador signed Letters of Exchange committing funds from multiple Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreements (ETCA) to be used for the Puyo Hospital construction project (see Record ID#88174). The Letters of Exchange specified the the Chinese government, among other things, would be in charge of the project design and research, and that these would be funded through the ETCAs. On August 3, 2011, the hospital construction project was cancelled in a separate set of Letters of Exchange signed by the two governments. However, the majority of the preliminary design, based on a realized feasibility study, had already been finished. As a result, the design's cost of 1.45 million RMB (or 300,099.55 USD) would be funded through a grant provided in an ETCA signed by the two governments on November 20, 2007. The Ecuador Ministry of Public Health and the Chinese Embassy helped with project implementation. Puyo Hospital was designed by PMMT Arquitectura, a Spanish architecture firm that specializes in hospital and health centers. However, it is unclear if this firm was hired by the Chinese government or, given that the hospital project was completed without Chinese official financing later, if this firm was hired by the Government of Ecuador and the design funded by the Chinese government was not used.