There was great cause for celebration in Sierra Leone on 14 August! The world’s largest civilian hospital ship, the Global Mercy™, was welcomed back to Freetown in a partnership between Mercy Ships and the Ministry of Health. In this field service, Mercy Ships will continue to provide long-awaited, often lifesaving surgical care as well as educational opportunities for the nation’s healthcare professionals.
“I’m extremely happy that Mercy Ships honoured the President’s call to stay longer to provide life-changing surgeries and train our healthcare professionals. In the next ten months, the ship will perform over 1,400 free surgeries and will continue on-ship training for 130 healthcare workers. As Minister of Health, I am excited about this possibility and very proud of the partnership with Mercy Ships,” shared Dr. Austin Demby, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health.
The hospital ship’s arrival was heralded by dancing, cheering, music, and many flags waving in the air. The crew on board the vessel, as well as volunteers and partners celebrating on the dock, welcomed the Global Mercy’s return with joy and jubilation.
“I’m very excited to reunite with our local crew and friends and form new ones. I’m excited to build on the foundations we have formed in Sierra Leone, to see what new opportunities arise and to continue to support and serve a nation that I have come to love so deeply,” shared Laura Hennessey, a volunteer paediatric nurse from the UK.
“There’s still people that need our help, and they’ve been waiting for us to come back. So, it’s exciting to be here and finally start the field service and be able to provide the care that they’ve been waiting for,” echoed Sarah Burdette, a new operating room manager from the USA. “I’m really excited to finally be here and start the field service, to get these ORs running and doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”
Bringing Hope and Healing in Sierra Leone
The newest and largest vessel in the Mercy Ships fleet departed the country in June after spending the previous 10 months performing 1,979 life-changing and lifesaving surgeries for 1,728 patients and training 145 healthcare professionals on board.
This year, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Mercy Ships selected patients in 12 locations across the country for the upcoming field service, ensuring that people from diverse regions of the country can access the care they need on board. A safe, free surgery on the Global Mercy will be an answered prayer for many of these patients – like 14-year-old Lucy, who received an operation to remove her facial tumour during the previous field service in Sierra Leone.
Lucy spent most of her childhood with a growing mass that would almost certainly have obstructed her breathing and become life-threatening. But following surgery on board, the teenager was able to look ahead to a future free of fear and brimming with possibility. With renewed dreams of becoming a doctor, a now healthy and confident Lucy said, “I wasn’t feeling good when I had that thing on my face. I was ashamed. Now, after the surgery, I feel good!”
Strengthening Surgical Systems Through Partnership
Mercy Ships Education, Training, and Advocacy (ETA) teams will also continue collaborating with the Ministry of Health to support ongoing training for staff at Connaught Hospital and students at the University of Sierra Leone, in line with the nation’s strategic healthcare plan.
During this extended stay, training opportunities will be created on the ship for at least 130 of the nation’s healthcare professionals.
Dr. Sandra Lako, Mercy Ships Country Director for Sierra Leone, said, “We are delighted that the Global Mercy has returned to Sierra Leone. With the strong partnerships formed, we will build upon the existing impact and momentum, to support government plans towards the sustainable development of the surgical care system.”
Now docked in Freetown, the ship, its volunteers, and Sierra Leonean national crew, will begin preparing the hospital on board to deliver the next phase of free surgeries. The surgical specialties during this field service will include maxillofacial/head and neck, general, paediatric orthopaedic, paediatric general, reconstructive plastic, and ophthalmic.
“Looking back throughout the previous field service, I saw God at work with all the patients who went through a complete transformation from before and after. When the blind see, the lame walk, those people that were outcast now have value and are accepted again in their community. I am happy and looking forward to seeing more hope and healing in my second field service,” shared Bintu Tongu, a volunteer dining room team leader from Sierra Leone.
Find Your Place on Board
Mercy Ships is committed to living out its mission to bring hope and healing, following the 2,000-year-old model of Jesus. Want to be a part of the transformative work taking place in places like Sierra Leone? A volunteer crew needs all different kinds of skillsets, from maritime and medical to engineering and accounting. Find your place on board today!
Recent Comments