Togo Screenings

During the Togo Field Service, Mercy Ships will be testing a new format for screening patients. Several pre-screenings will be conducted from February until April in multiple locations rather than one mass screening.

This will allow our teams to reach multiple areas of need while hopefully reducing the size of the crowd that normally appears during large screenings.

It is our hope that prospective patients will have less time to wait to be examined while also reducing security concerns that come with large groups.

According to Rachel Dix, the screening coordinator for the Africa Mercy, the new screening process should enable Mercy Ships to accommodate more people. "We only schedule surgeries for two-week blocks of time," explains Rachel. "This will allow some flexibility in our surgical schedule. So if we have a very large case that comes at the end of the year, we'll still be able to accommodate it."

General medical screenings will be held every week for ten weeks. The screenings will take place at predetermined locations in Lomé. In previous field services, screenings were held dockside, adjacent to the Africa Mercy.

In addition to the Lomé screenings, Dr. Tony and Ann Giles, have agreed to travel up-country for one month to conduct mobile screenings. All potential surgical patients then can be transported to the Mercy Ships Hospitality Centre in Lomé for further evaluation.

The crew and staff are excited and optimistic about the new screening procedure. The method may vary somewhat, but the result remains the same - hope and healing for the people of Togo.