From the Field

The Africa Mercy, the world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship, returned to Lomé on 5th January to bring hope and healing to the people of Togo.

Togo was the first country in Africa that Mercy Ships visited in 1990, and 2012 will be the fifth visit of a Mercy Ship to the West African nation.

Until the end of May, Mercy Ships will use its state-of-the-art hospital ship with six operating theatres, lab, pharmacy, 78 beds, and an outpatient clinic, to provide free health care to those in desperate need, as well as training for health care workers in Togo  read more »

British surgeons, nurses and dentists were among the 1000 volunteers who treated thousands of patients in Sierra Leone during the last 10 months on board the world’s largest charity hospital ship.

The Africa Mercy has just completed a 10 month field service in the West African country, providing free medical care and humanitarian aid to thousands of the country’s poorest people.  read more »

Blindness and vision impairment are negatively affecting the lives of many in South Africa. About 240,000 South Africans are blind due to cataracts. A staggering 80% of that blindness is treatable, curable or preventable – according to this year’s Mercy Vision South Africa Report.

Sadly, the report indicates that a growing number of children have vision problems, but they have no access to treatment. To make the situation even worse, often children are taken out of school to care for their blind family members, leaving their education unfinished.  read more »

“Doing ten cataract surgeries a day, I thought I was the best eye surgeon in the world,” said Dr. Ayo Bello. But then he met Dr. Stan Pletcher at the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Georgia, who told him he knew someone who could do 50 cataract surgeries a day. “No way! It’s just not possible,” said Dr. Bello. Dr. Pletcher assured him it was true and agreed to direct him to Dr. Glenn Strauss. “And he did!” said Dr. Bello.  read more »

Each year as a Field Service comes to a close, Mercy Ships holds an event to show our gratitude for our host country that provides us with countless resources while we are serving their country. The event honours and thanks them for allowing us to call their nation “home” for 10 months.  read more »

When the Mercy Ships Eye Team arrives at Kissy U.M.C. Eye Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone, they are met by over 300 people waiting outside the gates.

These people have come from all over the country and beyond, hoping to receive treatment for various eye conditions. Many of them have slept outside the previous night to keep their place in line.  read more »

The Mercy Ships Palliative Care Programme was initiated after UK crew member Ann Giles identified a need to offer continuing care to people with inoperable tumours. Now in its tenth year, the programme sends nurses into the community to offer pain relief, wound care, counselling and support to these patients.  read more »

A new strategic partnership between Rotary International and the global charity Mercy Ships will improve the delivery of vital health care services throughout West Africa.  read more »

The Mercy Ships Dental Team provided an Extreme Dental Outreach in Sierra Leone. Working in a region of the country where there are no dentists, they performed free dental extractions for approximately 600 people over several days. Watch to discover more about this Extreme Dental Outreach.

What does it take to keep Mercy Ships moving on the ground? Jeremy Garcia, Mercy Ships Transportation Manager, answers that question on this month's Connections. Plus, Patient Services Coordinator, Dan Bergman, offers insight about having a family onboard while serving on the world's largest non-governmental hospital ship, Africa Mercy.