Monrovia, Liberia, 11th June 2010- A Chinese volunteer medical doctor, Dr. Wang Gang, on Thursday has been conferred one of Liberia's highest honors by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Responding to the Chinese Government's calling, Dr. Wang Gang is a pediatric surgeon from Shandong Province, China, who left behind his beloved family in China and served a whole year at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center, Monrovia, Liberia, as a volunteer. Another volunteer doctor from the United States, Dr. Justin Bird was also honored by President Sirleaf.

Speaking at the ceremony in the C. Cecil Dennis Auditorium, Foreign Affairs Ministry Building, the Liberian President thanked the two doctors for the sacrificial services rendered to Liberians. She was disheartened, she said, that the two were leaving Liberia, but acknowledged that their services had to be extended to other parts of the world.

The President urged Dr. Bird and Wang to serve as Ambassadors of Liberia to encourage other humanitarian volunteers to come and contribute to the nation's recovery. The President also admonished Liberians to adopt a spirit of volunteerism as a means of contributing to the country's recovery.

In separate remarks, the honorees thanked the Liberian Government and people for the honor, and praised Liberians for contributing to the success of their mission through cooperation. They promised to continue to advocate for Liberia, to encourage others to contribute voluntary services, particularly in the healthcare delivery sector.

The program was attended by several senior officials of Government, Chinese Ambassador Zhou Yuxiao, a cross-section of Liberian medical doctors, staff of JFK, as well as Ambassador Mansour Abdallah of Lebanon, Doyen of the Diplomatic Corps.