Africa Mercy
Encyclopedia
The MV Africa Mercy is the newest ship to enter service with the humanitarian organization Mercy Ships
, which has been outfitting and operating hospital ship
s that serve developing nations since 1978. It is currently the world's largest non-governmental floating hospital.
Africa Mercy entered active service in Monrovia
, Liberia
in June 2007. Its 2011 Field Service is taking place in West Africa's Freetown
, Sierra Leone
, and its 2012 Field Service is scheduled to take place in Guinea.
for US$6.5 million, through a donation from U.K. businesswoman Ann Gloag's Balcraig Foundation. Dronning Ingrid is the first of three identical ships built for DSB (Danish State Railways). The other ships are the and the Prins Joachim.
The ship was fitted out at the Cammell Laird shipyard at Hebburn in Tyneside, England. The ferry's large hangers facilitated its conversion into a hospital ship. Over the next few years, the Dronning Ingrid was transformed into the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world, at a final cost of over US$62 million. Although Mercy Ships has now retired all its earlier ships, the Africa Mercy has greater capacity than all three of its previous ships combined.
, an ophthalmic unit, two CT scanners, x-ray
, laboratories, and a recovery ward with beds for 78 patients. In addition to the ship's lab capabilities, ship physicians can consult with pathologists in the U.S. via satellite communications.
On its upper decks, the ship has accommodations for 484 crew members including families, couples and individuals. The ship has 126 cabins, a day care center, a school for all ages up through the last year of high school, a library, a launderette, a small supermarket, a restaurant, a gymnasium, shops and a donated Starbucks
cafe. A fleet of 28 vehicles travels with the ship, for use in Mercy Ships land-based operations.
The initial provisions that were loaded aboard the Africa Mercy included 8,800 pounds of breakfast cereal, 924 pounds of coffee, and 26.8 tons of frozen meat and fish (which was an estimated four months' supply). Today, the supply chain for the Africa Mercy stretches halfway across the globe. To keep the Africa Mercy provisioned involves shipping to the floating hospital at least twenty-four 40-foot containers per year, containing everything from medical equipment and medical supplies to food and furniture. Containers are filled at Mercy Ships headquarters in Garden Valley, Texas, and shipped from the port of Houston, or they are filled and shipped from Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Temperature-sensitive supplies like vaccines and media plates are often transported via air, in rolling ice chests that travel with Mercy Ships staffers who are en route to the Africa Mercy.
Approximately 450 people live and work aboard the Africa Mercy. In addition to surgical and medical services, volunteers handle every task in the daily life of the ship, including crew operations, maintenance and repairs, cooking, housekeeping, childcare, teaching, and the Mercy Ships health education and infrastructure development projects that take place on land. Volunteer postings for a wide range of jobs generally range from two weeks to two years in length. In addition, some crewmembers serve as permanent staff on board the ship for the entire 10 months of each field service. The total number of Mercy Ships volunteers in all locations is about 1,200 people who hail from more than 40 nations. About 200 Africans also serve as day-workers on the ship.
Volunteer crewmembers also serve as blood donors for the ship's surgical procedures. When they arrive at the ship, their blood types are tested and recorded. They are paged when surgeries requiring their blood types are scheduled, and they donate blood immediately before the procedure.
The operating rooms of the Africa Mercy are equipped for specific surgeries that are greatly needed in the countries that the ship visits. These surgeries can also be performed efficiently and repeatedly. Conditions treated on board the ship include head and neck tumor
s, goiters, hernia
s, cleft lip and palate, cataract
s, crossed eyes (Strabismus
), bowed legs (genu varum), club foot
, burn
s and burn scars, childbirth injuries and the gangrene-like childhood disease called noma. Because medical care is so scarce in the countries that Mercy Ships serves, these medical conditions often become severe enough to be disfiguring, which means that patients are often shunned by their communities. The surgical correction of their medical problems assists patients in reintegrating with their communities and resuming normal lives.
On land, a screening clinic is set up to evaluate potential patients for surgeries, often in a large area like a sports arena. Volunteers set up medical and dental clinics to treat people in the surrounding communities. A HOPE Center established near the ship provides extended medical care to patients. In addition, volunteers train local healthcare workers in providing primary healthcare, and they teach workers to train others in providing healthcare. During its Sierra Leone Field Service between February and June 2011, the Africa Mercy crew performed more than 750 surgeries and 12,000 dental procedures.
In addition to medical and surgical care, community development projects are an important component of the ship's mandate. Mercy Ships infrastructure projects include construction and improvements in sanitation and hygiene. Volunteers help communities to achieve sustainable food production through the provision of seeds, tools and training.
, Sierra Leone
for its 2011 Field Service, which is scheduled to last for 10 months. At the conclusion of each Field Service, the Africa Mercy goes in to dry dock, where it is resupplied and receives any needed repairs or upgrades before heading to its next port of call.
Early in 2010, the ship was docked in Lomé, Togo for the 2010 Field Service. In August, 2010, the Africa Mercy went into shipyard in South Africa, where it was equipped with new, more efficient generators. In 2009, the ship was docked in Cotonou
, Benin
from February to December, providing free surgeries and medical care. Mercy Ships also worked with Beninese citizens on agriculture and water development projects. In 2007, the ship made its official maiden voyage to Monrovia, Liberia, from the shipyard in England.. The Africa Mercy remained in Liberia for its 2008 Field Service.
The 2012 Field Service for the Africa Mercy is scheduled to take place in Guinea.
Mercy Ships
Mercy Ships is an international charity that was founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens. Mercy Ships currently operates the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world, providing free health care, community development projects, community health education, mental health programs,...
, which has been outfitting and operating hospital ship
Hospital ship
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....
s that serve developing nations since 1978. It is currently the world's largest non-governmental floating hospital.
Africa Mercy entered active service in Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
, Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
in June 2007. Its 2011 Field Service is taking place in West Africa's Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, and its 2012 Field Service is scheduled to take place in Guinea.
Development
The Africa Mercy project started in March 1999. A former rail ferry named Dronning Ingrid (Queen Ingrid) was bought in DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
for US$6.5 million, through a donation from U.K. businesswoman Ann Gloag's Balcraig Foundation. Dronning Ingrid is the first of three identical ships built for DSB (Danish State Railways). The other ships are the and the Prins Joachim.
The ship was fitted out at the Cammell Laird shipyard at Hebburn in Tyneside, England. The ferry's large hangers facilitated its conversion into a hospital ship. Over the next few years, the Dronning Ingrid was transformed into the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world, at a final cost of over US$62 million. Although Mercy Ships has now retired all its earlier ships, the Africa Mercy has greater capacity than all three of its previous ships combined.
Facilities
The eight-deck floating hospital ship measures nearly 500 feet long, with a weight of 16,572 gross tons. Its lower decks are a modern hospital with six operating theatres, an Intensive Care UnitIntensive Care Unit
thumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive-care unit , critical-care unit , intensive-therapy unit/intensive-treatment unit is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine...
, an ophthalmic unit, two CT scanners, x-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
, laboratories, and a recovery ward with beds for 78 patients. In addition to the ship's lab capabilities, ship physicians can consult with pathologists in the U.S. via satellite communications.
On its upper decks, the ship has accommodations for 484 crew members including families, couples and individuals. The ship has 126 cabins, a day care center, a school for all ages up through the last year of high school, a library, a launderette, a small supermarket, a restaurant, a gymnasium, shops and a donated Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
cafe. A fleet of 28 vehicles travels with the ship, for use in Mercy Ships land-based operations.
The initial provisions that were loaded aboard the Africa Mercy included 8,800 pounds of breakfast cereal, 924 pounds of coffee, and 26.8 tons of frozen meat and fish (which was an estimated four months' supply). Today, the supply chain for the Africa Mercy stretches halfway across the globe. To keep the Africa Mercy provisioned involves shipping to the floating hospital at least twenty-four 40-foot containers per year, containing everything from medical equipment and medical supplies to food and furniture. Containers are filled at Mercy Ships headquarters in Garden Valley, Texas, and shipped from the port of Houston, or they are filled and shipped from Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Temperature-sensitive supplies like vaccines and media plates are often transported via air, in rolling ice chests that travel with Mercy Ships staffers who are en route to the Africa Mercy.
Volunteer Crew
Like past Mercy Ships vessels, the Africa Mercy is staffed entirely by volunteer crewmembers. Mercy Ships volunteers assume responsibility for all the costs of their trip to the Africa Mercy, including round-trip airfare and other travel costs, immunizations, passports, insurance and fees for room and board.Approximately 450 people live and work aboard the Africa Mercy. In addition to surgical and medical services, volunteers handle every task in the daily life of the ship, including crew operations, maintenance and repairs, cooking, housekeeping, childcare, teaching, and the Mercy Ships health education and infrastructure development projects that take place on land. Volunteer postings for a wide range of jobs generally range from two weeks to two years in length. In addition, some crewmembers serve as permanent staff on board the ship for the entire 10 months of each field service. The total number of Mercy Ships volunteers in all locations is about 1,200 people who hail from more than 40 nations. About 200 Africans also serve as day-workers on the ship.
Volunteer crewmembers also serve as blood donors for the ship's surgical procedures. When they arrive at the ship, their blood types are tested and recorded. They are paged when surgeries requiring their blood types are scheduled, and they donate blood immediately before the procedure.
Surgical and Medical Care
The ship is set up to provide onboard surgical care, an ICU and a recovery ward. Land-based medical operations provide patient screenings for surgeries, health and dental care, mental health programs, and palliative care for terminally ill patients.The operating rooms of the Africa Mercy are equipped for specific surgeries that are greatly needed in the countries that the ship visits. These surgeries can also be performed efficiently and repeatedly. Conditions treated on board the ship include head and neck tumor
Tumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
s, goiters, hernia
Hernia
A hernia is the protrusion of an organ or the fascia of an organ through the wall of the cavity that normally contains it. A hiatal hernia occurs when the stomach protrudes into the mediastinum through the esophageal opening in the diaphragm....
s, cleft lip and palate, cataract
Cataract
A cataract is a clouding that develops in the crystalline lens of the eye or in its envelope, varying in degree from slight to complete opacity and obstructing the passage of light...
s, crossed eyes (Strabismus
Strabismus
Strabismus is a condition in which the eyes are not properly aligned with each other. It typically involves a lack of coordination between the extraocular muscles, which prevents bringing the gaze of each eye to the same point in space and preventing proper binocular vision, which may adversely...
), bowed legs (genu varum), club foot
Club foot
A club foot, or congenital talipes equinovarus , is a congenital deformity involving one foot or both. The affected foot appears rotated internally at the ankle. TEV is classified into 2 groups: Postural TEV or Structural TEV....
, burn
Burn
A burn is an injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation, or friction.Burn may also refer to:*Combustion*Burn , type of watercourses so named in Scotland and north-eastern England...
s and burn scars, childbirth injuries and the gangrene-like childhood disease called noma. Because medical care is so scarce in the countries that Mercy Ships serves, these medical conditions often become severe enough to be disfiguring, which means that patients are often shunned by their communities. The surgical correction of their medical problems assists patients in reintegrating with their communities and resuming normal lives.
On land, a screening clinic is set up to evaluate potential patients for surgeries, often in a large area like a sports arena. Volunteers set up medical and dental clinics to treat people in the surrounding communities. A HOPE Center established near the ship provides extended medical care to patients. In addition, volunteers train local healthcare workers in providing primary healthcare, and they teach workers to train others in providing healthcare. During its Sierra Leone Field Service between February and June 2011, the Africa Mercy crew performed more than 750 surgeries and 12,000 dental procedures.
Infrastructure Projects
Between February and June of 2011, Africa Mercy volunteers also trained more than 500 people in mental health care, agriculture and church leadership.In addition to medical and surgical care, community development projects are an important component of the ship's mandate. Mercy Ships infrastructure projects include construction and improvements in sanitation and hygiene. Volunteers help communities to achieve sustainable food production through the provision of seeds, tools and training.
Field Service History
The Africa Mercy is serving in FreetownFreetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
for its 2011 Field Service, which is scheduled to last for 10 months. At the conclusion of each Field Service, the Africa Mercy goes in to dry dock, where it is resupplied and receives any needed repairs or upgrades before heading to its next port of call.
Early in 2010, the ship was docked in Lomé, Togo for the 2010 Field Service. In August, 2010, the Africa Mercy went into shipyard in South Africa, where it was equipped with new, more efficient generators. In 2009, the ship was docked in Cotonou
Cotonou
-Demographics:*1979: 320,348 *1992: 536,827 *2002: 665,100 *2005: 690,584 The main languages spoken in Cotonou include the Fon language, Aja language, Yoruba language and French.-Transport:...
, Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
from February to December, providing free surgeries and medical care. Mercy Ships also worked with Beninese citizens on agriculture and water development projects. In 2007, the ship made its official maiden voyage to Monrovia, Liberia, from the shipyard in England.. The Africa Mercy remained in Liberia for its 2008 Field Service.
The 2012 Field Service for the Africa Mercy is scheduled to take place in Guinea.