By Mohamed Sahr
Mercy Ships conducted a total of 1,728 surgeries during its latest mission to Sierra Leone, the charity has disclosed.
The mission which last for 10 months saw a dedicated field service to Sierra Leoneans from across the country who received surgical care, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
Mercy Ships is an international charity based on Christian values that operates the largest non-governmental hospital ships in the world, providing hope and healing in Africa through surgical care and surgical education. It also engages in community development projects, community health education, mental health programs, agriculture projects, and palliative care for terminally ill patients.
This is the third visit of Mercy Ships to Sierra Leone. It made its first visit to the country in November 2001 and stayed for four months. The second visit in 2011 lasted for 10 months. This latest visit started in August, 2023 and ended on 18th June, 2024.
Dr. Sandra Lako, Mercy Ships Country Director, disclosed at a press conference held at Ministry of Health on Tuesday 25th June that through their delivery of life transforming surgeries and trainings, a total of 1,728 patients received exclusive surgeries out of 1,979 patients seen in the course of the period.
“A total of 1,979 surgeries were performed for 1,728 patients. Some of our patients received multiple surgeries due to the extent of the conditions they had through different surgical specialties,” she stated.
Dr Lako acknowledged the Sierra Leone Government’s effort in providing the necessary support to enable their operations. She also disclosed that on the request of President Julius Maada Bio, the vessel is expected to return to the country in mid-August for another 10-month mission.
Details provided by the charity’s country director revealed that beside surgical care, 171 local healthcare professionals received training and educational opportunities to accelerate access to safe surgical and anesthetic care. Among these, 20 registered nurses received 18 months education program in anaesthesia.
Dr Lako said five students were enrolled in the dental education, with the goal of strengthening the future of dental education in the country.
Dr. Mustapha Kabba, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Clinical in the Ministry of Health, said the arrival of Mercy Ships was a boost to the health sector particularly surgical care in Sierra Leone. He applauded the entire team of the mission for providing free, affordable and quality surgical care to Sierra Leoneans.
