MAPUTO, Nov. 14, (Xinhua) -- China's naval hospital ship Peace Ark concluded its eight-day humanitarian mission in Mozambique on Tuesday, providing free consultation and treatment for almost 10,000 people in the east African country.

Forty-four cases of surgery were performed aboard the ship and over 4,000 people received the auxiliary examination, Task Group Commander Guan Bailin told Xinhua before the departure of Peace Ark.

"The whole team has been working at full capacity and the number of people receiving medical services from our ship in a single day reached 1,796, which is a new record," Guan said.

Mozambican military and civilian officials spoke highly of the mission and the team's selfless help to the locals.

"The Peace Ark's visit is significant and it's like China's national icon, which is going to boost the relationship between Mozambique and China and deepen the cooperation between the two armed forces," said Deputy Minister of National Defense Patrício José.

Minister of Health Nazira Abdula said she was deeply impressed by the advanced equipment and the superb medical skills of the doctors when she visited the ship and the patients on board on Monday.

"On behalf of our government and people, I thank the Peace Ark team for bringing medical services to us," the minister said. "This will be memorized by our history."

President of Maputo City Council David Simango told Guan last Friday that the ship's visit was "a happy coincidence" and "the best gift" when the whole city marked its 130th anniversary on that day.

Prior to Mozambique, the hospital ship had visited Djibouti, Gabon, Sierra Leone, the Republic of Congo and Angola.

Its next stop after Mozambique will be Tanzania.