Mercy Ships CEO Gert van de Weerdhof has announced that the medical charity ship will arrive in Sierra Leone in August this year as part of its charitable medical services to developing nations in Africa. The ship will offer free surgical operations to Sierra Leoneans.
“We are excited to confirm that we are planning a future return to Sierra Leone. This will be our sixth field service working alongside this nation. Now we can fully step into an important season of assessing existing needs and identifying how we can best support to deliver hope and healing to those in tremendous need of surgical care,” said Gert van de Weerdhof.
The registration process of patients will kickstart in April, according to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Government of Sierra Leone. Then, patients will be selected from eight locations in the country.
For over 25 years, Mercy Ships have been offering pro bono service to patients in Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Senegal, Cameroon, Madagascar, Benin, Ghana, South Africa and Togo – conducting life-saving surgeries in the process.
“This long-lasting partnership paves the way for Mercy Ships to continue to engage closely with the government of Sierra Leone and to strengthen our joint commitment to improving access to safe surgical care,” stated Dr. Sandra Lako, Country Director for Mercy Ships in Sierra Leone.
All services by Mercy Ships are provided free of charge to the participant, thanks to donors around the world and their support of the volunteer professionals onboard their hospital ships.
