Hospital ships for disaster response

Hospital ships for disaster response

By Dr Arvind Kumar

The response from the international community to an earthquake of unprecedented magnitude, followed by a terrible tsunami, that devastated the northeast coast of Japan on 11 March this year, setting off a nuclear emergency that is having global effects, has been immediate, generous and heart-warming. Japan is an island nation that has shown outstanding skill in building warships, supertankers, containerships, research vessels and luxury cruise ships; and now Japan should agree to design and build at least two modern ships that can immediately react to disasters both at home and abroad. The idea of building hospital ships in Japan is not new. Until the end of the Pacific War, the converted liner Hikawamaru Maru, now permanently moored in retirement at Yamashita Park, Yokohama, was one of Japan's most famous. But no more hospital ships have been built in the past 66 years.

There are only three countries whose navies currently operate hospital ships: Russia, China and the United States. Three other countries, Germany, Britain and China have ships equipped with some medical facilities that can be used for emergency evacuations. Nongovernment organizations (NGOs), notably the Mercy Ships, operate small vessels that give aid internationally. These ships and their medical staff, rescue teams and crews are all highly commendable, but when one considers that, by comparison, our world has no fewer than 44 huge cruise ships, ranging from the gigantic 225,282 gross tons to 158,000 gross tons, with 14 more under construction — not counting hundreds of smaller vessels — in this luxury trade, but no hospital ships. Time is ripe for India also to build at least one hospital ship to meet the exigencies generated by frequent cyclones visiting coastal areas.