The Africa Mercy Welcomes Its First Patient
This is the first patient to receive surgical treatment on the Africa Mercy since returning to Africa. Docked in the autonomous port of Dakar since February 1, the floating hospital has resumed its original mission, which consists of performing free surgical operations and providing medical training on the continent, after a 22-month hiatus in due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first patient admission was just two weeks after the ship returned to the mainland. The surgeries will continue until November this year.
As a young mother, Sokhna is the first patient to benefit from maxillofacial surgery due to a cleft lip. Originally from southern Senegal, the young woman had secured an appointment during a previous field visit and was among many people eagerly awaiting the ship’s return. Sokhna said she was not nervous about getting on the boat for surgery: “I just feel peaceful and happy,” she says. Sokhna and her husband are the parents of a one-year-old baby. They are farmers and Sokhna spends most of her time taking care of the house. She said she can’t wait to see when her husband discovers the correction of his cleft lip.
During the last months of 2021, the Mercy Ships patient selection team crossed Senegal in collaboration with the chief medical officers of the fourteen regions in order to visit the patients already scheduled and to meet the new patients in sight. to organize their next meetings on the ship. Over the next ten months, nearly a thousand surgical operations are scheduled on board the Africa Mercy in Dakar. In addition, nearly 750 health care providers will benefit from medical training covering various specializations.
Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to provide free healthcare services, build capacity and support sustainable development for people with limited access to healthcare in developing countries. For more than 30 years, Mercy Ships has focused its efforts in Africa. Mercy Ships has particularly focused its actions on West and Sub-Saharan Africa, where 93% of the population does not have access to safe surgical care. Mercy Ships surgeons perform operations such as cleft lip and palate repair, cataract removal, orthopedic operations, facial reconstructions, burn treatment, pediatric, general and obstetric fistula repair, which are considered as life-changing interventions.
Mercy Ships also cooperates with countries in West and Central Africa to strengthen health systems through skills enhancement, provision of equipment, training and improvement of health infrastructure. . In Senegal, Mercy Ships works with the Ministry of Health to provide training for medical personnel. “Although Senegal has an efficient health care system, capacity building and surgical interventions are still needed, especially in rural areas where nearly half of the Senegalese population lives (8.8 million people). and where access to care remains a problem for many patients,” emphasizes Dr. Miriam John.
The year 2022 marks the thirtieth anniversary of Mercy Ships’ partnership in Africa, a milestone that will be marked on the annual Africa Day of Celebration on May 25. On this occasion, which will bring together partner nations and African heads of state, Mercy Ships intends to establish a clear roadmap aimed at making surgery safer in Africa.
By APO Group for Mercy Ship
