CALLAO, Peru - The hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) completed its medical mission in Peru, the second of twelve stops in Central America, South America and the Caribbean during a closing ceremony, July 14.
During the ceremony in Callao, U.S. and Peruvian military and government officials spoke of the commitment between the partner nations and the symbol of goodwill that Comfort brought to the citizens of Peru.
“This morning the mission ended with expected success, having seen a great number of patients and provided medical services to the community in general,” said Vice Adm. Manuel Váscones, chief of staff of the Peruvian Navy. “The commitment of cooperation that the governments of the United States and Peru have undertaken only reaffirms the solid bilateral relations that allow the execution of humanitarian efforts like this mission.”
During Comfort’s five-day mission in Callao, 320 medical professionals of the United States Navy and five partner nations, to include local Peruvian medical professionals, provided care for more than 4,560 patients and performed more than 100 surgeries aboard the ship. In a first side-by-side medical mission with a partner nation, Peru provided concurrent medical care aboard the B.A.P. Tacna.
“We aren’t only partners, but also friends,” said the honorable Krishna R. Urs, U.S. Ambassador to Peru. “In the last five years the United States Department of Defense, through programs of capability, interchange, counternarcotic activities, peace operations, and humanitarian assistance has cooperated with the Peruvian government to improve the lives of Peru’s people.”
Comfort’s mission is accomplished through the efforts of medical as well as non-medical personnel. The entire Comfort team is comprised of military and civilian personnel from the United States and partner nations including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Peru, as well as several non-governmental organizations, creating a dynamic team capable of delivering a variety of services.
This marks the Comforts’ seventh deployment to the region since 2007. At each of the upcoming stops, the embarked medical teams will provide care aboard the Comfort and at two land-based medical sites, helping to relieve pressure on national medical systems strained partly by an increase in Venezuelan migrants.
This deployment is part of the U.S. Southern Command’s Enduring Promise initiative and reflects the United States’ ongoing commitment to friendship, partnership, and solidarity with partner nations in the Caribbean, Central America and South America.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/NAVSOUS4THFLT, www.dvidshub.net/feature/comfort2019, and www.navy.mil.