Chinese hospital ship ‘Peace Ark’ tackles medical service backlogs in Western Cape

Aiming to clear 80 000 backlogs in the Western Cape, Peace Ark, a Chinese naval hospital ship – part of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, providing humanitarian medical assistance globally – has successfully processed 1 300 patients, with medical staff having performed 17 cataract operations, since docking in Cape Town on Thursday.

According to the South African Military Health Service (SAMHS), the fully fledged naval medical vessel has been operating alongside SAMHS medical staff in providing health services to the local community of Cape Town and its outskirts.

Peace Ark makes a difference

The SA Navy and SA Air Force have been providing logistical, technical and engineering support, alongside the docked medical vessel.

Upbeat about the impact of the collaboration between SAMHS and the Peace Ark medical staff, SAMHS spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Philip Makopo, said yesterday that the team, which was also comprised Western Cape department of health personnel, performed several surgical, medical, orthopaedic and dentistry operations.

“We have also carried out operations at Mitchells Plain, Paarl, Groote Schuur and made use of military hospitals.

“We are very happy about the presence of the Peace Ark and interventions made,” said Makopo.

On a 10th mission since its commissioning in 2008, the ship is visiting 15 countries in the Indian and South Atlantic Oceans with visits already completed to Seychelles, Tanzania, Madagascar and Mozambique.

“Further calls will be made in Angola, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Benin, Mauritania, France, Greece, Djibouti and Sri Lanka.”

It will also make port calls in France and Greece.

Global scope of action

With over 100 personnel on board, the maritime hospital features 17 clinical departments and five auxiliary diagnostic departments – offering free diagnosis and treatment for common and prevalent diseases to local residents, people in Chinese institutions and overseas-based Chinese – through onboard clinics and dispatched medical teams.

Having visited 45 countries and regions, providing medical services to over 290 000 people, Peace Ark is the first domestically designed and constructed standard ocean-going hospital ship in China.

The ship has a displacement of about 14 000 tons and is equipped with advanced medical facilities, including 16 departments, eight operating rooms and over 300 beds.

Equipped with state-of-the-art medical technology, including a blood bank, exam rooms, various diagnostic and treatment facilities, Peace Ark has served as a symbol of China’s commitment to international humanitarian efforts, providing medical aid and fostering goodwill around the world.

The hospital ship sailed on 16 June from a military port in Zhoushan, an archipelago in east China’s Zhejiang Province.

It will leave South Africa on Thursday for Angola.

ALSO READ: Gauteng plans to build four new hospitals to meet rising healthcare demand