The Chinese hospital ship Jixiang Fangzhou conducted nearly 2,000 consultations in Abidjan during the first three days of its free medical mission, announced the Chinese ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, Wu Jie, on Friday, October 16. The vessel, also known as the Ark of Good Omen, arrived on October 14 and is scheduled to remain in the Ivorian economic capital until October 21.
This report measures the number of consultations and does not allow for determining the number of distinct patients treated. Before the start of the stopover, the Ivorian Navy had announced a target of approximately 4,000 patients over one week. The ship’s teams simultaneously planned a reception capacity of around 600 people per day.
The care provided is not limited to the facilities on the ship docked at the grain terminal of the port of Abidjan. Medical teams have also been deployed to the Abidjan Military Hospital and Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, where consultations were organized on Thursday, October 16.
According to the Ivorian Press Agency, other visits are planned at the Bingerville boys’ orphanage and the Agban gendarmerie camp. The program thus combines onboard care with consultations conducted in several facilities in Abidjan and its outskirts.
The campaign notably covers cardiology, diabetology, nephrology, neurology, pediatrics, gynecology-obstetrics, ophthalmology, and general surgery. Consultations, examinations, and specialized interventions are free for individuals admitted to the program.
This stopover marks the first visit to Côte d’Ivoire by a Chinese naval hospital ship. It is also part of the first overseas mission of the Jixiang Fangzhou, the third 10,000-ton ocean-going hospital ship designed and built by China.
