US Navy hospital ship docks in Subic

THE United States Navy’s premier hospital ship is scheduled to dock in Subic Bay today, Monday, to participate in a humanitarian mission in the Pacific, according to the US Embassy in Manila.

The Embassy said US Naval Ship (USNS) Mercy will dock at the Alava Wharf in Subic Bay at 3 p.m.

The mission is part of the Pacific Partnership (PP) 2012. It brings together US military personnel, host and partner nations, non-government organizations and international agencies to build stronger relationships and develop disaster response capabilities throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

The USNS Mercy will provide medical, veterinary and dental services to hundreds of Filipino residents. It is also expected to work together with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

PAMPANGA. The Navy’s premier hospital, USNS Mercy, which is capable of rapid and mobile acute medical and surgical procedures with a total of 1,000 beds and can accommodate 200 patients per day, docked in Subic Bay Monday. (Anthony Bayarong)

In a statement, the AFP said USNS Mercy is capable of rapid and mobile acute medical and surgical procedures with a total of 1,000 beds and can accommodate 200 patients per day. It is highly equipped in giving medical and surgical specialties along with basic medical services like immunizations, primary care, pediatrics, optometry, dental care, nutrition counseling, infectious disease treatment, endocrinology, gastroenterology, dermatology, among others.

The PP12, the largest joint humanitarian mission in the Pacific, stemmed from humanitarian initiatives following the tsunami that hit Indonesia in 2004 that killed more than 200,000 people.

It is joined by partner nations including Thailand, Australia, Malaysia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Korea, Chile, Peru, and Netherlands. (Anthony Bayarong/Sun.Star Pampanga/Sunnex)