Levy Mwanawasa General Hospital, a project being built by Shanxi Construction Engineering Group, holds a ground-breaking ceremony in Lusaka, capital of Zambia, on June 7. [Photo/sxrb.com]

Levy Mwanawasa General Hospital, a project built by Shanxi Construction Engineering Group and funded by the Chinese government, held a ground-breaking ceremony in Lusaka, capital of Zambia, on June 7.

The hospital is now the largest and most advanced medical project funded by Chinese development aid. The hospital, five kilometers northeast of the center of Lusaka, covers a floor area of 42,471.59 square meters with the reconstructed area covering 7,471.59 sq m and with a newly added area of 35,000 sq m. The medical services and the number of hospital beds will reach the standard of a grade-three hospital in China, the highest level in the national three-tier medical assessment system.

The extension of the hospital will satisfy the increasing demand for medical services in Lusaka province and the new hospital will provide the various professional medical services of a standard teaching hospital once the project is completed, according to Inonge Mutukwa Wina, vice-president of Zambia.

The hospital is one of the overseas projects managed by Shanxi Construction Engineering Group, the largest construction company in Shanxi province.

The company has carried out more than 100 international engineering projects –– such as Yaounde Stadium in Cameroon –– during the past 10 years, exploring the markets of countries and regions in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America. There are now 17 overseas projects under construction as the company is expanding its market along the Belt and Road to reach the goal that foreign business volume should account for one third of its total revenue by 2020.

Currently, temporary facilities for construction have been built and major building materials have been exported from China. Construction of the hospital’s infrastructure is ongoing.