Chinese hospital ship ‘Peace Ark’ arrive, to provide medical services for Lankans

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya yesterday said that the Chinese hospital ship Peace Arc, which is currently docked at the Colombo harbour, is offering essential services to patients.

She emphasised that the ship’s arrival in Colombo for a seven-day goodwill visit symbolises strong and close ties between Sri Lanka and China.

The Prime Minister was speaking after visiting the Chinese Hospital ship at Colombo harbour yesterday morning. She inspected the most modern medical facilities available at the hospital ship for the treatment of patients.

The Prime Minister was received by Chinese envoy in Colombo Qi Zhenhong and Rear Admiral YING Hongbo and Rear Admiral HE Yongming from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

This hospital ship, referred to as Heping Fangzhou in Chinese, has been specifically engineered for medical functions. It is the China’s first standard ocean-going hospital ship and is recognised as the world’s first professional hospital ship with a capacity of 10,000 tons.

Local media personnel were granted permission to board the vessel and observe the equipment and facilities in the ship yesterday.

Military officials on board the ship said that the medical equipment in the ship is comparable to that found in some of the premier medical hospitals in China.

The crew comprises some of China’s foremost medical experts and specialists in fields such as neurology, gastroenterology, physiotherapy, traditional Chinese medicine, infectious diseases, reconstructive surgery, and burn treatment.

This ship is scheduled to depart Colombo on December 28; Sri Lanka Navy said that crew members of the ship will explore some of the tourist attractions of the country, during their stay in Colombo. “They will also take part in some programmes organised by the Sri Lanka Navy, with a view to further enhance camaraderie between both Navies”, SLN said.

SLN personnel as well as trainee officers from the Naval and Maritime Academy and Kotelawala Defence University participated in briefings on the operational functions of the ship yesterday.

Picture by Sulochana Gamage

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