Chinese hospital ship Peace Ark will dock at the Port of Douala on October 7 and leave on October 14. The arrival, announced by the Ministry of Defense on Monday, is being carried out under “the highest instructions of the Head of State” as part of bilateral military cooperation between Cameroon and China.

The humanitarian mission aims to improve the health of Cameroonians by offering free medical services. Patients will have access to surgeries, treatments for infectious and chronic diseases, as well as pediatric, dental, ophthalmological, orthopedic, and obstetric gynecology care.

Patient registration is “already underway” at several health facilities in Douala, including the military hospital, the general hospital, Laquintinie Hospital, and the gyneco-obstetric and pediatric hospital, according to a statement from the Defense Ministry.

The Peace Ark mission is part of a journey that began in June and will cover 13 countries: Seychelles, Tanzania, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Angola, Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Benin, Mauritania, Djibouti, and Sri Lanka, with additional stops in France and Greece. According to Chinese news agency Xinhua, this is the Peace Ark’s tenth “Harmonious Mission” since it entered service in 2008. The vessel, designed and built in China, is the first of its kind and has already visited 45 countries and regions, providing medical care to over 290,000 people. Onboard, more than 100 healthcare professionals are ready to offer free diagnoses and treatments for common ailments to both local residents and staff from Chinese institutions.

This is not the first time Cameroon has hosted a hospital ship. The NGO Mercy Ships docked its Africa Mercy at the Port of Douala from August 17, 2017, to June 2018, at the invitation of President Paul Biya. That marked the first collaboration between Mercy Ships and Cameroon. Over those ten months, the organization provided medical care and helped strengthen healthcare capacities, training Cameroonian health professionals. In total, volunteer experts performed more than 2,500 surgeries, offering direct support to thousands of people and contributing to the overall improvement of the national healthcare system.

Source: Business in Cameroon