TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The government will spend NT$40 million (US$1.25 million) on improvements to the only hospital on the disputed Dongsha Islands in the South China Sea, reports said Wednesday (Sept. 20).

The plan followed a visit to the islands a week earlier by Interior Minister Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) and Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲). During their stay, Kuan said she visited Dongguang Hospital, the only hospital on the islands, and found numerous problems, CNA reported.

The day after arriving back in Taipei, she discussed the issues with Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), she wrote on her Facebook page. He immediately agreed the hospital needed construction work, so he approved a NT$40 million budget for the project, she said.

The hospital employs a senior doctor sent by a military hospital in Kaohsiung City, two physicians, and two nurses with more than 10 years of experience each. They conduct surgery at the hospital, and dentistry, Kuan said.