7 minute read
My experience working on Mercy Ships
Rachel Buckingham
One warm dusky evening in December 2019, in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa, I climbed up the gangway of an enormous hospital ship, the Africa Mercy to start a two-week voluntary service providing surgical treatment for children with limb deformities. I had never actually walked up a ship’s gangway before, I had never lived and worked on a ship, I had never been to West Africa, and I began to wonder what I had let myself in for.
Mercy Ships is a Christian charity that has provided free surgery for the world’s forgotten poor for over 45 years. This was my ‘trial run’ to see if I might volunteer on a regular basis. I was met at reception by a smiling friendly faced American surgeon, Frank, who was to be my co-consultant. He carried my luggage down to my cabin which turned out to be below the gangway, and next I was given a plate of hot supper. Over the following two weeks, I found myself working with an amazing team of kind and committed people from all over the world, and together we got through a huge amount of work – 39 children with severe limb deformities operated on in ten days of surgery. The kids on the ward lit up each day with their laughter and smiles despite the pain and anxiety of surgery and entertained us with their races up and down the corridors in post-op plaster casts with miniature Zimmer frames (made by the ship’s engineers) learning to walk again. I was hooked (see Figure 2, 3 & 4).
At the invitation of the host nation, the Mercy Ships dock for ten months bringing everything required to provide much needed surgery apart from fuel, water and waste disposal which are provided as part of the comprehensive agreement. As well as completing thousands of urgent operations onboard our floating hospitals, the Africa Mercy and the Global Mercy, Mercy Ships volunteers also work closely with the relevant Ministry of Health to improve the way healthcare is delivered across the country, by training and mentoring local medical staff, and renovating local hospitals and clinics.
Founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens, Mercy Ships has worked in more than 55 countries, providing services valued at more than £1.3 billion. By improving healthcare delivery in every country it visits, Mercy Ships is working to eradicate the diseases of poverty and effectively do itself out of a job. Mercy Ships follows the model of Jesus by “bringing hope and healing to the forgotten poor”, helping people of all faiths and none.
The Lancet commission on Global Surgery showed that two thirds of people in the world do not have access to safe or affordable surgery, and in sub-Saharan Africa that figure rises to 93%. Furthermore, 32.9% of deaths worldwide are attributable to inability to access timely surgery. That is more than three times the number that die from HIV, TB and Malaria combined.
But while twins like Assanou and Assanne with painful rickets (see Figure 5 & 6) are unlikely to die from lack of surgery, their condition means that they may not be able to attend school, hold down a job or get married, and they are likely to be stigmatised. So, life for them looked pretty bleak. Imagine how their mother’s desperation will have turned to hope when she heard of the possibility of surgery on board a floating hospital. And what an adventure for them to walk on board a ship for the first time knowing that the next time they set foot on dry land their legs would be straight! (We had to colour code their casts and wrist bands as they liked to trick the nurses by switching beds!).
Sadly, my next trip was delayed due to COVID-19, but in summer 2022 we got things going again and returned to Senegal to complete some surgeries that the pandemic had prevented. After that trip, I was asked to take on the lead orthopaedic surgeon role for the organisation, taking over from Frank Haydon who had pioneered the children’s orthopaedic service over the previous ten years. In March 2023 I found myself back in Senegal, but this time on board the brand new ‘Global Mercy’ which is now the biggest nonmilitary hospital ship in the world. I had the huge privilege of doing the first ever operation on board in the new hospital. Imagine doing an operation where every single instrument is brand new, shiny, and sharp! Imagine doing the first operation whilst being watched and photographed by a thoughtfully non-intrusive comms team… (see Figure 7 & 8)
In addition to paediatric orthopaedics, Mercy Ships also provides plastic, general, maxillofacial, obstetric fistula, eye and dental surgery as well as a palliative care service. >>
Mercy Ships is famous for its Max Fax work due largely to Dr Gary Parker who has worked, lived, and brought up his family on board for over 30 years. Sambany was one of his patients. He was waiting to die until he heard about Mercy Ships, and some of his friends carried him to the nearest road to get transport to take him for his life saving surgery. 14 hours of surgery and 10 units of blood (donated by the crew who are the walking blood bank), and what a result! (See Figure 9 & 10).
I realise I should be sticking to orthopaedics, but I can’t resist telling you about siblings Elodie, Jacques and Marie Grace (See Figure 11 & 12).
Their mother, Amina, had cataract surgery with Mercy Ships in 2001 when she was 13, and 20 years later when she heard the ship was returning to her country, she led her three children to the floating hospital where they all received free cataract surgery on the same day: it is impossible to imagine how Amina felt. It almost makes me want to be an ophthalmic surgeon, but then I wouldn’t get to do cool orthopaedic operations like these pictured (see Figures 13-16).
I now volunteer with Mercy Ships twice per year, once on each ship, doing two to three weeks of surgery each visit. It’s a little different from the day job in Oxford, but parents the world over just want the best for their children, and it’s amazing to be able to provide treatment free of charge, for those who would not otherwise be able to afford it, restoring hope and the possibility of a full life ahead. n
As ortho lead for Mercy Ships one of my jobs is to find the volunteer surgeons to continue this amazing work. If you would like to know more have a look at the website: www.mercyships.org.uk or contact me at rachel.buckingham@ouh.nhs.uk.
