NATMAUK, Myanmar, May 10 (Xinhua) -- China handed over on Friday a renovated general hospital to the Myanmar government in Natmauk, Magway region where the national hero General Aung San was born.

The renovation project of the hospital in Natmauk town, which cost about 900,000 U.S. dollars, was conducted by the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar and Myanmar-China Exchange and Cooperation Association.

Thanking China for the hospital renovation, Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi stressed that the country is now in need of development in public health sector as well as in education and economic sectors and called for people's unity in cooperation for the all-round development of the country.

A new emergency patient ward was constructed along with the renovation project which took about five months since December last year.

Chinese Ambassador Hong Liang expressed his belief that the renovated hospital would represent a symbol of bilateral friendship between the two countries.

The renovated Natmauk General Hospital is the second China-Myanmar Friendship after Daw Khin Kyi Women Hospital in Yangon which was upgraded by China in 2017.

Founded in 1982, the Natmauk hospital was previously upgraded to 50-bedded hospital in 2015 and the hospital has been providing health care services to at least 300,000 local people since then.