Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark provides medical services in Kiribati as part of Harmony Mission 2023 (linked to Record ID#s #103999 and #103961)

On July 3, 2023, Peace Ark, a Chinese naval hospital ship set off from a military dock in Zhoushan to perform the Harmony Mission 2023 program, which involved visiting Kiribati, Tonga, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste. On July 15, 2023, Peace Ark arrived at Betio Wharf in Tarawa, Kiribati, the first stop on the mission.

This is the first time Peace Ark has visited Kiribati as part of a Harmony Mission. A welcome ceremony was jointly hosted by the Chinese Embassy and the Government of Kiribati, attended by H.E.

President Taneti Maamau, Rear Admirals Zhao Guangqing and Li Xinke, Charge d’Affaires Zhao Jian, Cabinet Ministers Dr.

Tinte Itinteang, Tekeeua Tarati, Ruateki Tekaiara, Speaker Tangariki Reete, Acting Chief Justice Tetiro Semilota, other high-level government officials, and members of the local Chinese community. The medical team consisted of 126 members in 16 different clinical and auxiliary departments.

They are from China's Naval Medical University, Joint Logistic Support Force and the navy under the PLA Eastern Theater Command.

Peace Ark stays in each country it visits for seven days, conducting medical procedures, cultural exchanges, and sometimes military training with local armed forces.

From July 15 to July 22, 2023, the ship's crew conducted 6,633 outpatient consultations, including 5,095 onboard and 1,538 by medical detachments across Tarawa and North Tarawa; performed 94 medical check-ups, 20 surgeries (including cesarean sections, cataract surgeries, and laparoscopic cholecystectomies), and 13 hospitalizations; and completed 2,331 diagnostic procedures, including CT scans, digital radiography (DR), and other ancillary tests.

Medical personnel from Kiribati—including 266 local professionals—participated in joint activities and knowledge exchanges with the Chinese team.

Nine academic seminars focused on medical imaging, first aid, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) were held, including demonstrations of cupping, acupuncture, and moxibustion.

The team also delivered off-ship services at Tungaru Central Hospital, elderly associations, and community centers, and met with local students and teachers. Peace Ark departed Kiribati on July 22, 2023, continuing its Harmony Mission to other Pacific Island nations. Peace Ark is a type 920 hospital ship that was commissioned in 2008 and has visited 43 countries and regions since.

At 14,300 pounds, it is larger than a typical Chinese destroyer with a displacement of over 10,000 metric tons.

It has multiple operating rooms and nursing stations with over 300 beds in total as well as a blood bank and can handle up to 1,000 patients at a time.

It has other state-of-the-art medical facilities as well, like CT, DR, color Doppler ultrasonography, gastrointestinal endoscopy, automatic biochemical analyzers, multifunctional monitors, ventilators, and autoclave cabinets, making up 2,600 sets of medical devices of about 250 different types in total.

It comes equipped with a heliambulance for emergency rescues as well.