Mercy Ships Screens Over 600 Potential Patients in Liberia
A global charity operating a growing fleet of hospital ships examined over 600 people during a 14-hour final screening day last week at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Health Center in Liberia's capital city Monrovia.
A global charity operating a growing fleet of hospital ships examined over 600 people during a 14-hour final screening day last week at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Health Center in Liberia's capital city Monrovia.
On Saturday, Mar. 19, staff from Texas-based Mercy Ships scheduled 146 patients for maxillo-facial, plastic, and general surgery and 125 patients for eye surgery from March through June onboard the Mercy Ship Anastasis--the world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship. A further 60 people will be scheduled for surgery when the 522-foot flagship returns to Liberia in November.
Before the ship’s arrival, JFK Health Center staff and UNMIL (United Nations Mission in Liberia) personnel held eight open pre-screening sessions to identify those eligible for Mercy Ships medical and surgical care. According to Mercy Ships, almost 2,000 people attended these sessions, with 510 receiving cards for the final screening. Pre-screening not only accurately selected potential patients, but also avoided many people arriving at the final screening with conditions the ship is not equipped to treat.
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“The pre-screeners did an excellent job,” said Norma Forrest, HealthCare Services Administrator on the Anastasis. “Their hard work helped make our final screening so calm and orderly.”
Mercy Ships reported that around 200 of its crew-members assisted with the screening. Other crew also volunteered to escort patients between stations, entertain people waiting to be seen with music and drama, and pray with those not selected for surgery.
Amy Finley, the Screening Coordinator, praised the crew for their efforts. She also expressed gratitude toward members of the JFK Health Center staff, who provided onsite HIV testing and counseling and helped escort and examine patients.
Earlier this month, Mercy Ships reported that it planned to complete over 500 surgeries during the three-month stay of the Anastasis in Liberia--the first visit of a Mercy Ship to the war-torn West African nation.
The global charity is also conducting development projects and educational programs to help re-build Liberia after 14 years of civil war, and says that it will continue bringing "hope and healing" to Liberia in a second phase beginning in October 2005.
Currently, Mercy Ships has three hospital ships and offices in 17 countries and has visited more than 500 ports in over 50 developing nations. Mercy Ships has performed more than 2 million services, with a value of $250 million (USD). These services include treating more than 300,000 people in village clinics, performing 18,000 surgeries, 110,000 dental treatments and completing close to 350 construction and agriculture projects, including schools, clinics, orphanages and water wells.
