Mercy Ships' Education, Training and Advocacy program to strengthen surgical services in order to tackle global surgical crisis in West Africa

Abstract

Paul Farmer of Partners in Health reported that a sustainable surgical service requires all 5 elements (5'S') of space, stuff, staff, systems, and social support. The global surgical crisis means that every 2 seconds, one person dies from the lack of timely, affordable, and safe surgery (Lancet Commission, 2015). In sub-Saharan Africa, safe surgery is out of reach for 9 out of 10 people. Mercy Ships deploys world-class hospital ships to provide free surgeries to tackle the immense unmet surgical needs in West Africa. Moreover, Mercy Ships also creates lasting impact by training local medical professionals and strengthening in-country healthcare systems. Our Education, Training, and Advocacy team partners with skilled professionals in host countries to provide mentorship, training, and support in order to create a sustainable surgical service from the grassroots to government level. Good surgical outcomes depend not only on a skilled surgeon but also on safe anaesthesia, high-quality nursing care, and clean and functioning equipment. Notable examples of training specialist surgeons on board our Mercy Ships include mentoring an ophthalmic surgeon in Togo in cataract surgery, training a plastic surgeon in Benin for burn victims, and two Guinean cleft surgeons who have substantially reduced the burden of unmet surgical need for cleft deformities of the lip and palate. Apart from training surgeons, we develop opportunities to mentor the entire surgical ecosystem, including anaesthesia providers, nursing staff, and biomedical and sterile processing technicians. These involve small group hands-on courses in areas such as safe obstetric and paediatric anaesthesia, primary trauma care, essential pain management, newborn resuscitation, and courses for sterile processing and biomedical technicians. Our simulation courses on board our training hospital ships have enthused and empowered the Dean of Medical School to bring simulation courses to the whole medical faculty in Thies, Senegal. The implementation of the World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist in Madagascar, Benin, and Cameroon has reduced postoperative mortality and morbidity by up to 50%. In Guinea, our chief dental officer is instrumental in building a new dental hospital with pioneering clinical hands-on training systems to equip the next generation of dental students. By providing free surgery and improving healthcare delivery in every low-income country we visit, Mercy Ships is working to eradicate the surgical disease of poverty and bring hope and healing to the forgotten poor in West Africa.Copyright © 2025