The surgical operations and free treatments that the
U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) will provide at the port of Callao are expected to strengthen the Health Ministry's (Minsa) strategy to reduce the number of patients at hospitals.
The announcement was made by Deputy Minister of Health Services and Health Insurance, Alfredo Broggi, who thanked the
U.S. Navy and its
Peruvian counterpart for implementing Brotherhood Operation —an institutional cooperation agreement between both countries— in favor of those most in need.
"Nearly 100 surgical operations will be conducted on pre-selected patients.
The available interventions include laparoscopic cholecystectomies and hernia repair, as well as ophthalmologic procedures such as cataract surgeries, orthopedic surgeries, and lipoma or benign tumors," he explained.
The operations will be performed between July 10 and 14. The pre-selected candidates for surgical interventions are patients from
Peru's Health Ministry-run (Minsa) hospitals and foreigners, who lack insurance.
"These are low-complexity surgeries. Patients will remain at the ship between 24 and 48 hours after surgery for recovery," he stated.
For his part, U.S. Navy Major Armando Daviu noted that the ships are designed to provide medical and surgical assistance, with the support of almost 1,000 people in the crew, including doctors, nurses, and personnel from countries like Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico, as well as Peruvians who serve in the U.S. Navy.
The ship is equipped with modern facilities, operating and post-surgery rooms, two oxygen production plants, a blood bank, and a computed tomography (CT) unit.
(END) NDP/LIT/RMB/MVB
Published: 7/10/2019