A hospital ship will bring medical attention to 22 municipalities in the Colombian Pacific.

Colombia.– The hospital ship ‘Benkos Biohó’ set sail this Thursday from the Colombian port of Buenaventura with the aim of providing medical attention to 22 coastal municipalities in the Pacific, in an initiative of the Government to guarantee access to health for communities with connectivity difficulties. The ship’s medical coordinator, Samy Quiñones, explained to EFE that participation in this initiative represents “more than a pride, an infinite happiness,” by being able to reach territories where access to health is limited and citizens have difficulties receiving medium and high complexity care. The vessel, designed for coastal and river navigation, will travel through territories of the departments of Valle del Cauca, Cauca and Nariño, where they expect to benefit tens of thousands of people who have historically faced geographical and infrastructure barriers to receive timely medical attention. Quiñones pointed out that the medical team will implement a preventive, predictive, and resolutive care model, with the purpose of closing gaps in services and improving mortality indicators in these regions.

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According to the information provided, the ship has an operating room where surgical procedures will be carried out, with diagnostic support including radiology, ultrasound and mammography for the early detection of breast cancer. The vessel also has a cytology laboratory and equipment for performing colposcopies, in order to detect cervical cancer in a timely manner.

Attend to «more than 70,000 people»

The Secretary of Health of Cauca, Carolina Camargo, assured EFE that with the launch of the ship, it is expected to serve more than 70,000 people. Camargo detailed that in Cauca the vessel will arrive at “strategic” municipalities such as López de Micay, Guapi and Timbiquí. The official also indicated that in these territories, care will be provided to pregnant women and emergency cesarean sections and other procedures such as mammograms, X-rays, and ultrasounds will be carried out. There will also be other specialized services that, in many cases, are not available in the region. The captain of the hospital ship, Jorge Eliecer López Castillo, highlighted that the vessel will allow them to reach “rivers, coastal areas and borders of the country where health is a priority and many people have not had the opportunity to receive medical attention.” According to López, the boat has a capacity for 35 people, including 10 crew members, and has a length of 39.9 meters, a beam of 9.46 meters and a draft of 1.5 meters, which allows it to navigate both coastal areas and reach river communities.

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Nurse Lucy Paola Hinestroza called on communities to go to the services that the hospital ship will offer, and pointed out that there will be specialties such as pediatrics, gynecology and optometry, among others, with the aim of providing comprehensive care to the population.