Chinese Naval Hospital Ship Silk Road Ark docks in Barbados, offers free medical services

Barbados: Chinese Naval Hospital Ship Silk Road Ark docked at the Bridgetown Port on December 20, 2025 and will remain in port until December 27, 2025. The citizens will be able to access free medical and surgical services during Christmas week as the ship will be open for two times daily.

The ship will first open between 8: 00 am and 11: 00 am in the morning for access and then it will further open from 2: 00  pm to 5: 00 pm in the evening daily. The Ministry of Health of Barbados invited the citizens to come and access the facility for their better treatment.

In addition to that, Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George is urging Barbadians to take advantage of medical services being offered aboard the Chinese naval hospital ship Silk Road Ark. Dr George made the appeal while speaking to the media at the end of a guided tour of the vessel on Saturday.

The tour included officials from the Ministry of Health and members of the Barbados Defence Force. The Silk Road Ark is staffed by approximately 60 medical professionals and is equipped with a full laboratory, diagnostic services, CT scans, ultrasounds and surgical facilities.

While most of the staff are not nurses, the ship is capable of performing surgeries onboard. Further, the ship is also equipped with five major medical zones for casualty transfer, triage, outpatient care, inpatient services and evacuation, as well as eight operating rooms.

It also carries a helicopter for emergency response and includes 14 clinical departments and seven auxiliary diagnostic units. Services will also be offered in key areas such as cardiovascular medicine, respiratory medicine, gastroenterology, general surgery, orthopedics, ophthalmology, obstetrics and genecology, pediatrics, dermatology, otolaryngology, and traditional Chinese medicine physiotherapy, along with imaging and special examinations.

It was outlined that the procedures that will be offered in the ship will include appendectomies, hernia repairs, breast lump and skin lesion removals, fracture fixation, cataract treatment, routine endoscopies, urological procedures and selected obstetric services, as well as acupuncture and cupping therapy.

The Ministry of Health of Barbados also added that all medical personnel working on the ship will also be registered with the relevant professional. The offer is announced on the basis of humanity during the Christmas season.