Fiji's 1st floating hospital to provide services to islanders

Fiji's 1st floating hospital to provide services to islanders

Suva, June 2 (IANS) The "Veivueti", Fiji's first floating hospital, is expected to start its first island outreach by the end of June.

The 46-metre-long medical ship, commissioned by Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama here on Friday, is the first of its kind in the South Pacific island nation.

And it is specifically designed to provide both primary as well as secondary medical services and rapid response to emergencies, Xinhua news agency reported.

The ship, which costs about 8 million Fijian dollars ($3.9 million approximately), is equipped with state-of-the-art tools.

It is expected to treat over 10,000 patients annually in the far reaches of the country, an archipelago of more than 330 islands, of which 110 are permanently inhabited.

--IANS

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