Chinese hospital ship Auspicious Ark offers free care in Lomé
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Focusinfos
The Chinese hospital ship Auspicious Ark is offering free consultations and operations in Lomé until 6 November, including cataract and general surgery. The mission, led by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, is part of Sino-Togolese cooperation, according to Focusinfos.
The Chinese hospital ship Auspicious Ark is offering free consultations and surgical procedures to people in Lomé until 6 November. Docked at the Port of Lomé (PAL), the Chinese navy vessel is conducting the campaign as part of “Mission Harmony 2026”, according to Focusinfos.
Services include general medicine, cataract surgery and general surgery. They are aimed in particular at people facing financial or geographical barriers to accessing care, according to the Togolese authorities cited by Focusinfos.
PAL director-general Edem Kokou Tengue visited the ship on Sunday, 1 November, to check its arrangements and speak with its crew. He praised the Chinese military’s commitment to healthcare and said he hoped such operations would be repeated.
The Auspicious Ark left Qingdao in July for a mission lasting more than 200 days in Africa and South Asia. Before arriving in Lomé, it called at Ivory Coast and Ghana, where it had already treated thousands of patients, according to Focusinfos.
