Freshly refitted hospital ship, the upgraded Africa Mercy®, has arrived at Madagascar to build on the charity’s longstanding collaboration and will provide specialized surgeries in various fields, including maxillofacial and ear nose and throat, general, pediatric specialized general, pediatric orthopedic, cataract surgery, and reconstructive plastics.
The charity has urged islanders to wait to hear on local radio stations about small regional patient selection opportunities in their area for certain conditions rather than to make their way to the ship where no selections are happening.
A 2016 study revealed that only 20% of the population can access surgical services within a two-hour timeframe, and up to 95% would face financial ruin if they required surgery. With a scarcity of physicians, approximately 20 for every 100,000 people, the prospect of receiving necessary surgical treatment seems unattainable for many.
In Mercy Ships’ fourth field service, the organization will focus on enhanced partnerships and relationship-building as part of its education, training and advocacy (ETA) program in combination with building up its surgical schedule.
Esperant Mulumba, Mercy Ships Country Director in Madagascar, stated, “We plan to spend the weeks following the ship’s arrival running patient registration in several different locations. Surgeries can only go ahead for specific conditions when we have a full complement of volunteers to ensure specialized surgeries can happen as planned at the end of May without delays and rescheduling.”
Mercy Ships is actively collaborating with Madagascar’s Ministry of Health to identify the most pressing needs and strengthen the country’s surgical systems in the long term. Through the ETA strategy, the organization aims to increase the number of surgical providers, provide training across the surgical ecosystem, develop sustainable educational programs, establish a network of healthcare providers, and advocate for the importance of surgery in healthcare globally.
Over the course of previous visits, Mercy Ships collaborated with the government and Ministry of Health to provide more than 6,425 life-changing surgical procedures and over 52,395 dental procedures. In addition to delivering life-changing surgical and dental care, Mercy Ships has a longstanding commitment to education, having trained 2,019 healthcare professionals in the past.
Mulumba added, “In our last field service, we were able to provide life-transforming, life-changing, life-enabling surgeries that have allowed the people that benefited from them to be part of the communities they come from and allowed certain people to return to their jobs. They brought a certain dimension of hope that otherwise would not have been experienced… an impact that we can’t measure.”
Highlights of the Africa Mercy’s® refurbishment included an information technology (IT) upgrade enhancing the ship’s operating theatre functionality and performance. Upgrades will support the provision of essential training for local doctors, fostering the development of in-country healthcare professionals. Additional improvements included the modernization of the galley, upgrades to the elevator system, and remodeling of several cabin spaces, enabling the ship’s community to better serve those in need of surgical care.
