HEALTH practitioners in the Corporate Area should see a reduction in their daily workload with additional hands now on the Republic of China’s Silk Road Ark medical ship, carrying staff and equipment to perform elective procedures and other medical services.

The ship docked at Port Royal Cruise Pier on Monday after a stop in St James. The Silk Road Ark first docked in Jamaican waters on December 5, where it stayed at the Montego Bay Pier where medical workers on-board treated nearly 2,000 patients and performed 277 surgeries.

Additionally, procedures afforded by the team included dental care, CT scans, ultrasounds, and blood work.

Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton was evidently overjoyed Monday morning as he welcomed the ship to Port Royal.

Tufton told the Jamaica Observer that he is anticipating similar results for the Corporate Area as in Montego Bay, where thousands of patients were able to receive treatment free of cost.

“I know we have had a long-standing relationship [with China] that has been beneficial. We have had a team coming here to do eye surgery, we have had medical personnel going to China and participating in clinical rotation training. Of course the big one is the Western Children and Adolescents Hospital, which is a gift of the Chinese Government and is in its final stages, hoping to be completed next year, 2026 — and that will bring a significant capacity to adolescent and child health. So the relationship is strong, and in the health field it has been a real positive development,” said Tufton.

He urged Jamaicans interested in receiving treatment on the ship to make arrangements through their health providers who will then refer their cases to the Silk Road Ark’s staff.

According to Tufton, though walk-in visits would be welcomed, scheduled appointments will be prioritised.

“The best I can recommend is through your health centre where you initiate that [appointment]. Some people are walking in and are able to get access, but they have a limitation in terms of the numbers [of staff], so that’s a risky move. But, nevertheless, you can get access that way,” added Tufton.

In the meantime, Opposition Leader Mark Golding told the Observer that the assistance being provided by the hospital ship would significantly help the health sector which, he said, was strained even before the impact of Hurricane Melissa.

“To see this very massive and super-modern hospital ship coming to Jamaica at a time where we are under tremendous stress, when our health systems have been hammered hard by the hurricane, especially in western Jamaica — but the public health system has always been under stress — so it’s going to be welcome relief,” said Golding as he spoke at Port Royal Cruise Pier.

“We thank the Government and the people of China for being there for us and for sending this vessel and all of the hospital staff — doctors, nurses, et cetera — who are on the vessel to provide opportunities for Jamaicans who may have been waiting for a long time for elective procedures or tests,” added Golding.