By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
The British medical charity, Mercy Ship has arrived in Sierra Leone to perform more than 2,350 safe and free surgeries onboard Global Mercy, the world’s largest charity hospital ship.
The patients were selected from 5,000 people who registered following a screening process.
Yesterday a delegation from the Mercy Chip charity led by the Minister of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Austin Demby, paid a courtesy visit on President Julius Maada Bio at State House.
The minister said that the medical experts on the ship opted to prioritize those in critical conditions.
He also said that the ministry had set up a “Hope Centre” at their Macauley Street Hospital in Freetown, where some of the patients with serious health conditions, would rest before they were taken to the ship for their surgeries.
“Mercy Ships has a strong partnership with the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS), where medical pieces of training have been provided for the medical students. Plans are at an advanced stage for Mercy Ships to assist in the establishment of a Dentistry School in Sierra Leone, which will boost the health sector,” he said.
President Julius Maada Bio welcomed the delegation and said that he was looking forward to the services the ship would render to Sierra Leoneans.
“I wish you a very happy stay in Sierra Leone,” he told the delegation.
The surgeries the ship will be conducting will include tumour removal, cleft lip and palate correction, cataract removal, orthopedics, and reconstructive plastics.
After being in Sierra Leone for the sixth time, the vessel will undertake its operations for 10 months, starting today 23 August.
Mercy Ships was founded in 1978 and has offices in 16 countries as well as an Africa Service Center in Dakar, Senegal.
Copyright © 2023 Politico
