Royal Approval for New Medical Ship
The village of Oran on the banks of the Amazon River in Peru was the setting for the visit of Vine Trust Patron, HRH The Princess Royal to its new, purpose-built medical ship, the MV Forth Hope. Accompanied by national and regional dignitaries, Her Royal Highness was warmly greeted by the local community before taking a tour of the ship, seeing the work that it provides and the wide range of facilities which are available.
The MV Forth Hope only recently arrived in Peru at the beginning of September after a 42-day, 6786 mile delivery voyage from Scotland. Already in active service, this new vessel is Vine Trust’s second medical ship in the region and will help provide 200,000 medical consultations each year to remote and isolated communities along five river basins in the region.
Medical care aboard the ships is provided by a core team of eight Peruvian health professionals thanks to a collaboration agreement between Vine Trust and the Peruvian Ministry of Health. The services are further enhanced by overseas medical volunteers who visit the programme throughout the year, working alongside the national workers and sharing their knowledge, skills and expertise.
“We are delighted to see the new ship already out providing care and the reaction from the patients has been extremely positive” said Kenny Holt, Vine Trust’s Medical Programmes Manager. “The Programme provides a very high standard of care from passionate and committed health workers who deliver a whole range of services in partnership with the villages. The introduction of a second medical ship reinforces our capacity for further development, which will strengthen the local response to healthcare needs in the years ahead”.