Skopje, 2 December 2021 (MIA) – Japan has donated a new portable angiography machine for the needs of the interventional cardiology and radiology department at the Skopje-based ‘8 September’ hospital. The donation stands at EUR 100,886. The donation agreement was signed on Thursday by Japanese Ambassador to North Macedonia Hironori Sawada and ‘8 September’ hospital director Hristijan Kostov. According to Ambassador Sawada, the machine will boost the hospital’s capacity to address cardiovascular issues. “Moreover, it will further lower the risks of stroke and heart attack, which are some of the most common causes of death in North Macedonia,” the Ambassador said. The grant is awarded through Japan’s GGP program. Japan, Sawada noted, is strongly committed to supporting North Macedonia’s social and economic development, crucial for the country’s EU integration. “Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) is one of the pillars of our strategy for cooperation with North Macedonia. Since 1996, Japan has allocated EUR 7.8 million for 158 GGP projects, of which 30 were based in Skopje and focused on health, education and environment,” Sawada said. He added that agreements for five more projects will be signed within the program in December and several others by March. Hospital director Hristijan Kostov stressed that through the grant Japan is assisting in the modernization of the ‘8 September’ hospital. He underlined that thanks to such grants, the hospital is able to perform sophisticated interventional and other radiological procedures. The goal, Kostov noted, is to cut the waiting list and provide high-quality health services to patients, including sophisticated medical interventions. “Thanks to this donation, Japan is helping the hospital offer top-notch health protection,” the director said.