News

As experts from the surgical and healthcare world gather for the 64th Annual Conference and Scientific Meeting of the West African College of Surgeons in Sierra Leone this week, a profound dedication to advancing surgical knowledge and practice in the region is palpable. At the forefront of discussions lies the conference's pivotal theme: access to safe and affordable surgical and anesthetic care in West Africa. This theme highlights the pressing need to address disparities in healthcare capabilities and capacities across the region, especially the critical importance of equitable access to quality surgical interventions.

Senegalese health minister praises Mercy Ships’ partnership ‘considerable contribution’ on international stage

Gratitude for Mercy Ships’ work was publicly shared at the joint Third Congress of the Senegalese Society of Pediatric Surgery and the Ninth Congress of the African Society of Pediatric Surgery in Dakar last week. Secretary General of the Ministry of Health and Social Action Professor Habib Ndiaye acknowledged the lack of pediatric surgeons in the country and thanked Mercy Ships for helping to tackle the very high demand for child orthopedic surgeries.

Unleashing the Power of Partnerships to Transform Healthcare in Africa

In the realm of medicine, there are pivotal moments that can forever change lives. For me, that transformative moment occurred two decades ago when my path intersected with medical mission teams in our country, including Mercy Ships, an organisation committed to delivering life-changing surgeries to those who need it most. Witnessing their surgical interventions and the profound impact on people’s lives ignited my passion to become a surgeon.   I realised that the human body’s needs transcend borders and the Gambian people deserved access to quality surgical care.  

Guinea’s only dental school expanding in pioneering educational project to transform access to quality care

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CONAKRY GUINEA – 6 November 2023 - The critical need to give the people of Guinea access to quality dental care is taking a major step forward with the expansion of the country’s only dental school.  

Woman reunited with the nurse who helped save her life 30 years ago

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FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE, OCTOBER 1, 2023 – A woman was this week reunited with a nurse who saved her life 30 years ago as she volunteers for the same charity that her rescuers were from.

Ministry of Health confirms Africa Mercy’s® return to Madagascar in 2024

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ANTANARIVO, MADAGASCAR, SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 – Recent meetings between the Ministry of Health and Mercy Ships have furthered planning for the hospital ship Africa Mercy® to return to Madagascar in early February. Initially, Mercy Ships plans to dock the 16, 572 GT Africa Mercy in the port of Toamasina. During the field service, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the ship’s medical professionals, and teams will aim to provide more than 1,150 free specialized surgeries as well as targeted training for healthcare professionals. Mercy Ships has already embarked on the beginning of a 5-year country engagement plan that further strengthens the partnership between Mercy Ships and the people of Madagascar, with the development of local partners, and completion of an initial programmatic assessment.

The Global Mercy™ arrives in Freetown, Sierra Leone to Bring Safe Surgery and Education

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On August 22, a long-awaited day of hope arrived as the Global Mercy™ sailed into the port of Freetown, Sierra Leone. It was a moment more than 30 years in the making. The start of this field service marks the next chapter in a three-decade partnership between Mercy Ships and Sierra Leone, meaning the floating hospital ship’s arrival wasn’t a greeting – it was a homecoming.

Sierra Leone’s Journey for Better Health: Overcoming Obstacles and Embracing Partnerships

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For those of us on the ground in Sierra Leone, the challenges we face daily in providing healthcare services underscore the grave disparities present across the various corners of our planet when it comes to our ability, or lack thereof, to heal. In Sierra Leone, the most dramatic example of the challenges we face is the severe lack of qualified professionals equipped to handle our nation's diverse and growing healthcare needs, particularly in relation to surgical care.

Raising the bar of expectation while accelerating access to safe surgical care in Africa

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We celebrate World Health Day on April 7th, 2023, and I thought it is a good time to reflect on what “Health for All” means on the African continent.  In 2015 and 2017, the World Health Assembly (WHA) passed Resolution 68.15, and decision 70(22) respectively. Resolutions which recognised surgical and anaesthesia care as essential for universal health coverage and required the director-general to report on the progress of its implementation.  While much progress has been made to document and elevate the status of surgical and anaesthesia care internationally, things have unfortunately not progressed equally on the African continent. Life-transforming surgery has a massive impact, not just on the patient, but on their caregivers, direct family, their community, and beyond.   It is now more important than ever to ask, how we can we improve this? How do we do this better?  

Meet Amadou, the First Patient to Receive Surgery on the Global Mercy™

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The world’s largest purpose-built civilian hospital ship, the Global Mercy, is projected to serve 150,000 patients over the next five decades – and it all begins with Amadou, a 4-year-old with a windswept leg and bowed leg from southern Senegal. With an orthopedic surgery on March 6, Amadou was the first patient to ever receive surgery on board the new ship.