Mercy Ships make their sixth return to Sierra Leone

For the sixth occasion within a span of three decades, Sierra Leone welcomed the Global Mercy Ship, the world’s largest hospital ship at the Queen Elizabeth Quay in Freetown. 

The charitable organization will be administering free medical assistance to over 2000 Sierra Leoneans over the upcoming ten months. A substantial count of more than 5000 individuals have already enrolled to undergo surgical procedures at the facility.

Mercy Ships has also established a partnership with the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) to facilitate the training of students. Dr. Austin Demby, Sierra Leone’s Health Minister, disclosed that the benevolent ship will play a pivotal role in the establishment of a Dentistry School in the nation, thereby bolstering the healthcare sector.

In a vibrant ceremony held at the Queen Elizabeth II Quay in Freetown on Wednesday afternoon, President Julius Maada Bio extended his greetings to the delegation representing the Mercy Ship. He expressed his anticipation for the charitable organization’s service to the citizens of Sierra Leone. 

“We are excited, and I am particularly happy to know that 5,000 people with health conditions in Sierra Leone have already registered to benefit from services the ship will render,” said President Bio.

Mercy Ships, a global charity rooted in Christian principles, operates the world’s most expensive non-governmental hospital ship. Its mission encompasses bestowing hope and healing upon Africa’s most vulnerable populations, encompassing community development projects, education initiatives related to community health, mental health services, agricultural programs, and palliative care for those with terminal illnesses. Its most recent visit to Sierra Leone was in 2011. The organization’s headquarters are situated in Garden Valley, Texas.