The hospital ship Peace Ark of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) arrived in the Fijian capital city of Suva on Aug. 2, 2018.（Photo courtesy of PLA Navy）
The hospital ship Peace Ark of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) arrived in the Fijian capital city of Suva on Thursday. The vessel will spend eight days in the country on a goodwill visit, where it will provide humanitarian medical services.
During the visit, commanders of Mission Harmony – 2018 will pay a courtesy call to senior Fijian military officers and government officials, while the medical staff will go to a Fijian military unit for exchanges on combat casualty.
The hospital ship will conduct all-weather medical service onboard to provide free medical services for locals, members of Chinese institutions and overseas Chinese as well.
Meanwhile, several medical teams will be dispatched to local health centers for joint consultation and treatment. A medical helicopter carrying medical staff is to fly to a local island, providing medical services.
As part of the trip, men and women in uniform from PLA Navy’s Peace Ark will present a cultural exchange performance, together with students and faculty of the University of South Pacific. The entertainment is aimed at deepening mutual understanding and enhancing friendship between the two peoples.
Fiji is the third stop of Peace Ark’s ongoing mission, which is part of the Mission Harmony – 2018. This is the second time the naval ship has visited the South Pacific Island nation after its first visit four years ago.
Peace Ark is China’s first domestically developed 10,000-ton level hospital ship. With five medical divisions, eight operating rooms and 300 beds, it is able to treat more than 1,000 patients simultaneously.
The hospital ship serves the PLA Navy’s East Sea Fleet. It’s responsible for treating and evacuating casualties during wartime, and during peacetime, it offers free medical services to civilians both in China and abroad.
