Chinese medical vessel docks in Venezuela

[nitpicker]

https://www.dw.com/en/chinese-medical-vessel-docks-in-venezuela/a-45604694

Chinese medical vessel docks in Venezuela

Date 23.09.2018

The Chinese army medical vessel "Peace Ark" arrived in Venezuela's La Guaira port on Saturday, as the country faces a deep economic crisis that has devastated its public health services.

It is the latest stop for the People's Liberation Army Navy's ship in its 11-nation "Mission Harmony" tour. The visit is taking place on the heels of the US announcing that it would also be sending a navy medical ship, the USS Comfort, to help Venezuelan refugees in Colombia, a move that Caracas has criticized.

Top Venezuelan officials saw the Comfort's deployment as a threat and a sign that the US seeks a military intervention on humanitarian grounds.
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The Peace Ark is equipped with 300 beds, eight operating theaters and a medical helicopter. It has so far traveled to more than 40 countries and provided free medical services to 180,000 people since it was commissioned in 2008.

Its arrival will provide needed relief to the beleaguered South American nation, which is currently reeling from acute shortages of medicines and medical supplies. Prices for imported medicines have soared as the currency devalues. Venezuela has also suffered a loss of medical professionals as a result of mass emigration, and those who have stayed are facing dramatic drops in real-terms wages. As a result, protests by nurses and doctors have become a familiar sight in the streets of Caracas.
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Defense Minister Padrino said that the Chinese vessel would also be used as an opportunity for a "knowledge exchange," and that as a result, "special operations" would take place in the army's various military hospitals.
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[padah513]

1. To be honest

I'm surprised that they haven't set up shop in Mexico yet