THE Chinese naval hospital ship, Silk Road Ark arrives today in Fiji.
The ship will be in the country for its humanitarian medical mission.
Silk Road Ark, according to the People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of National Defense, set sail on September 5 and is expected to arrive in Fiji today.
It will visit countries in the South Pacific and Latin America for Mission Harmony 2025.
The ship is to visit Nauru, Fiji, Tonga, Jamaica, Barbados, Brazil, Peru Chile, Papua New Guinea and others.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, the visit marks the first overseas deployment for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Silk Road Ark since its commissioning in 2024.
The mission aims to strengthen cooperation between China and relevant countries.
Chinese ambassador to Fiji, Zhou Jian told the media last month that the hospital ship will anchor in Fiji on October 1.
“Silk Road Ark will arrive in Fiji to provide medical services to the Fijian people,” Mr Zhou said.
“This is the largest ever hospital ship.
“It is common in unity to send hospital ship to developing countries to provide medical services.
“As far as I know, it will visit a couple of countries, not only Fiji. So, it will go a long way to provide services.”
He said the ship would stay in Fiji for eight days.
The medical services provided by the ship consists of outpatient clinics, inpatient wards and operating rooms.
It will include advance gear like CT scanners, digital radiography (DR) systems, and colour doppler ultrasound to back up diagnoses. Colour Doppler ultrasound is a specialised medical imaging technique that uses sound waves to visualise blood flow within vessels, showing both the speed and direction of blood in real time.
According to the Fiji Government, those going for the free medical checkup are required to take a valid ID for registration at the Vodafone Arena Hall (B) from October 2.
