Rome Newsroom, Jul 14, 2020 / 08:00 am
A hospital boat named after Pope Francis has been delivering medical aid along the Amazon River as rural communities struggle amid Brazil's devastating coronavirus outbreak.
"This vessel has already done great miracles in the lives of our riverside people, bringing health and hope," Franciscan Brother Joel Sousa told the Brazilian bishops' conference news portal.
Since the boat was inaugurated in July 2019, the medical crew has carried out 46,000 medical consultations in the communities along the Amazon River. However, in the face of Brazil's coronavirus outbreak, the crew has shifted its focus to prevention and testing.
"We couldn't be out of this fight. We got together, reorganized ourselves in our service so that together we could also fight against COVID-19," Sousa said.