By Ren Tianran, Xu Wei and Li kejiahe
Acting Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Manasseh Maelanga and his wife, holding the baby in arms, take a group photo with the Chinese medical staff on the hospital ship Peace Ark. (Photo by Xu Wei)
The Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark, which was visiting the Solomon Islands on the Harmonious Mission-2023, witnessed the birth of the 2nd "Peace Baby" during this mission on August 23. This is also the 10th baby delivered in all the Harmonious Missions ever. Currently, both the mother and baby were in good condition. The baby was named Peace by the acting prime minister of the Solomon Islands Manasseh Maelanga.
The expert medical team on board the Peace Ark went to the National Referral Hospital in Honiara City to conduct joint diagnosis and treatment as well as academic exchanges on the morning of August 23. Chinese gynecologist Xu Mingjuan conducted a detailed examination and medical history interview for the 24-year-old pregnant woman Jino. Jino was 40+5 weeks pregnant, well past her due date. The fetus was severely growth-restricted, amniotic fluid levels were far below normal, and regular contractions were occurring with occasional fetal heart rate drops.
Jino had a stillborn fetus and underwent induction at 36 weeks of pregnancy in April 2022. The current fetus was at risk of death without timely intervention. Considering the limited conditions of the local hospital, Xu immediately suggested transferring the pregnant woman to the Peace Ark for surgery.
Upon receiving the report，the Chinese hospital ship immediately activated the emergency plan, established a multidisciplinary expert team including obstetrics, pediatrics and anesthesiology, and completed ward preparation and operation room setup. The surgery began at 2:30 pm. Twenty-five minutes later, a baby girl weighing over 5 pounds was successfully delivered and both the mother and the baby were safe. "Thank you, Chinese military doctors. You are the gospel from the East. This child is the most precious gift for my wife and me," said the baby's father, Ruqebatu.
At 6:30 pm the same evening, the acting prime minister of the Solomon Islands Manasseh Maelanga visited the observation room to see Jino's family and personally named the baby girl "Peace". Mrs. Manasseh genially held the baby in arms and took a photo with Jino's family.
"This baby girl is the 2nd new life we’ve seen during our mission. We sincerely wish every baby can grow up healthily without any illness," said Chang Le, director of the hospital ship. He said that during a visit to Kiribati, they performed a cesarean section on a local pregnant woman on the hospital ship's main platform and successfully delivered a baby boy. The President of Kiribati named the child "Aken Teraoi" , which means "Peace Ark" in the Kiribati language.
Xu Mingjuan performs the cesarean section. (Photo by Liu Wei)