SENEGAL – Hospital ship African Mercy, the second largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world, has received the first patient to undergo surgical treatment aboard since it resumed its mission to provide free surgeries and medical training in Africa.

Africa Mercy is a floating medical treatment facility belonging to the humanitarian organization Mercy Ships which seeks to leave the host nation better equipped with the training, tools and infrastructure to care for their own.

Shipboard consultations, surgery, training and mentoring are provided free of charge to local patients and professionals through donations from partner organizations and individuals.

The international charity provides humanitarian aid like free health care, community development projects, community health education, mental health programs, agriculture projects and palliative care for terminally ill patients.

Mercy ships carried out patient selection activities across 14 regions in Senegal between last October and January 2022 where 900 benefactors were selected for consultation with a surgeon with the hope to provide free surgery.

The selection of patients is now closed and the organization will prioritize patients already identified in 2019/20 by the Chief Medical Officers of each region,” highlighted the Mercy Ships press release.

Its surgeons perform operations such as cleft lip and palate repair, cataract removal, orthopedic, facial reconstruction, burn contracture release, pediatric, general and obstetric fistula repair which are deemed life-changing procedures.

A young mother from southern Senegal named Sokhna is the first patient to undergo a maxillofacial surgery for a cleft lip and surgeries will be ongoing through November 2022.

Senegal’s President Macky Sall recently announced the return of the Africa Mercy Ship after unanticipated COVID-19 outbreak interruptions and the floating hospital ship has docked in the autonomous port of Dakar since 1st February.

The first admission of patients has taken place just two weeks after the ship’s return to the continent,” the statement outlined.

For the next ten months, a thousand surgeries are scheduled to take place abroad Africa Mercy in Dakar and nearly 750 healthcare providers are expected to receive medical training in various specialties.

Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to deliver free healthcare services, capacity building and sustainable development to those with limited access in the developing world.

Mercy Ships has concentrated its efforts in Africa for more than 30 years particularly within West and sub-Saharan Africa where 93% of the population are deprived of access to safe surgical care,” further read the statement.

The organization also works together with countries in West and Central Africa to strengthen healthcare systems through enhancing skills, providing equipment, training and improving healthcare infrastructure.

In Senegal, Mercy Ships is partnering with the Ministry of Health to provide healthcare training to medical personnel in the country,” the statement said.

The organization has partnered with the Ministry of Health to develop protocols that ensure undertaken activities are safe and aligned with those in place in the state.

The interventions of the Mercy Ships will provide better health services which complement state efforts and the quality of human resources involved in this cooperation will give back hope and healing to the people.

Although Senegal has a solid healthcare system in place, there is still a need for capacity building and surgeries especially in the rural areas where approximately half of Senegal’s population lives and access to healthcare is still challenging for many patients.

In 2022, Mercy Ships celebrates thirty years of partnership in Africa which will be commemorated on the annual May 25 Africa Celebration Day.

During this event, which will bring together African partner nations and heads of state, Mercy Ships will focus on establishing a clear roadmap towards safer surgery in Africa.

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