Mercy Ships announced this week that they have accepted the invitation from of the President of the Republic of Madagascar, His Excellency Hery Rajaonarimampianina, to bring the world's largest civilian hospital ship to Madagascar for its next field service until the middle of 2015.
"We are honoured to be able to come alongside the island nation of Madagascar and their government's effort to strengthen health care infrastructure through the training and capacity building Mercy Ships can offer. Thousands of patients are suffering there from pathologies which the Mercy Ship is equipped to assist through the surgical expertise of our dedicated professionals," stated Don Stephens, Mercy Ships President and Founder.
The Mercy Ship and volunteers set sail on Saturday 13 after repairs and replenishing at Las Palmas and is sailing to Madagascar with a brief stopover in Cape Town, South Africa, for refuelling and further volunteer crewing, and then on to Tamatave, Madagascar to begin service.
Equipped with five state-of-the- art operating rooms, the Africa Mercy is a fully modern hospital specialising in maxillofacial, reconstructive, plastics, orthopaedic, ophthalmic, dental and obstetric fistula surgeries. Doctors onboard anticipate operating on thousands of patients during the 16,500-tonne hospital ship's stay of several months in port. The surgeries and care are provided at no cost to the Malagasy people, and the focus of care is on the population which have very little or no access to specialised surgical healthcare.
The WHO reports that there are only 3,150 doctors in Madagascar, which equates to just 1.6 physicians for every 10,000 people. A protracted political crisis in recent years has endangered the nation's ability to meet a number of millennium development goals and has taken a heavy toll on Madagascar's economy and people, especially the most vulnerable.
According to the President's office, there is a clear and important need for the expertise that Mercy Ships can bring to the nation, both in terms of specialised operations as well as in education and capacity building. Mercy Ships will work closely with the Government of Madagascar to evaluate the exact needs, pathologies, and regional priorities, according to the government spokesperson.
Mercy Ships mission for the past two decades has been to sub-Saharan Africa, where about two-fifths of the population survive week by week on what someone in the Australia earns from just one hour's work on the minimum wage. And where one in six children born, don't live to see their fifth birthday and life can be tough for those who do.
The last visit of a Mercy Ship to Madagascar was in 1996.
About Mercy Ships
Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to deliver free, world-class health care services, capacity building and sustainable development to those without access in the developing world. Founded in 1978, Mercy Ships has worked in more than 70 countries providing services valued at more than $1 billion, with more than 2.48 million direct beneficiaries. Each year, more than 1,200 volunteers from over 40 nations serve with Mercy Ships. Professionals including surgeons, dentists, nurses, health care trainers, teachers, cooks, seamen, engineers, and agriculturalists donate their time and skills to the effort. Following the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships seeks to transform individuals and serve nations one at a time. Mercy Ships Australia, one of 16 international support offices, is based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. For more information, visit www.mercyships.org.au