SIERRA LEONE-Mercy Ships donates modular buildings to Rokupa Hospital

 


Crew from the Africa Mercy loads the disassembled modular buildings
onto a truck for transport to the Rokupa Government Hospita

  


The buildings are reassembled at the hospital, a 35-bed facility that serves over 350 surgical patients per year

  Throughout each field service, Mercy Ships is committed to investing in local health care infrastructure in ways that will continue to have an impact long after the ship leaves. In keeping with this long-term capacity-building strategy, Mercy Ships donated three modular buildings to Rokupa Government Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone, at the end of the 2011 Sierra Leone Field Service.

On 7 December 2011, the buildings, which had been refitted and converted into seven offices, were delivered to premade foundations at their new location, which was chosen in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.


Africa Mercy Off-Ship Maintenance Coordinator Ryan Hare
hands over the keys to Dr Matilda King, to be used as an
Outpatient Department, Cholera Treatment Centre
and administrative offices.


Rokupa Hospital is a 35-bed facility that serves over 350 surgical patients per year. Formerly, the Outpatient Department at the hospital consisted of a concrete slab in the parking lot covered by plastic tarps and a steel roof. The new buildings will provide a new tuberculosis, leprosy and HIV Outpatient Department and Cholera Treatment Centre, as well as administrative offices and storage space.

This donation provides the staff at Rokupa with a secure, controlled environment in which to treat outpatients. It is an area that can be permanently set up and maintained, which will save time and allow for safe storage of hospital records and equipment.

Dr. Matilda King, the representative from Rokupa Government Hospital, was thrilled with the donation. "I want to thank Mercy Ships so much for their generous donation," she said. "I hope the buildings will be in the same shape when Mercy Ships returns to Sierra Leone!"

January 2012
Story by Catherine Cooper
Photos by Debra Bell

TOGO-The Africa Mercy Arrives port of Lome, Togo (Jan 5, 2012)

After a 10 hour sail from Ghana, we arrived safely into the Lome, Togo port on Jan 5th. 



The Lome tugs escort the Africa Mercy into port.





 Press Release:

Mercy Ships the Africa Mercy, the world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship returns to Togo for a 5 month Field Service returned January 5, 2012 to Lomé.


 In 1990, Togo was the first country in Africa that Mercy Ships visited and 2012 will be the fifth visit of a Mercy Ship to the West African nation. This year the Africa Mercy will consist of follow-up with patients operated on by Mercy Ships during its previous visit in 2010 and a phase of new surgeries. Mercy Ships will use its state-of-the-art hospital ship with six operating theaters, lab, pharmacy, 78 beds, and an outpatient clinic to provide free health care to the people of Togo and training for health care workers in Togo until end of May 2012.


The Africa Mercy docked in Lome port

 In March 2010, Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe and Prime Minister Gilbert Houngbo Fossoun visited the Mercy Ship during its earlier visit in an expression of gratitude to the volunteer crew on this ship of compassion. After a six month Togo field service in 2010, the Africa Mercy required shipyard maintenance in South Africa for an extended period where new generators were installed.

Clementine Tengue-an Africa Mercy Crew and a native Togolese,
carries the Togo flag down the gangway.

Following a ten month field service in Sierra Leone where thousands of patients were treated, Mercy Ships decided to return to Togo to complete another five month field service. Many patients who had received surgery will be checked again and patients who were on a “waiting list” for surgeries will finally receive a long awaited free surgery.

 The 2012 field service in Lomé, Togo, will include following services:
cataract and pterygium surgeries, eye training, maxillofacial surgeries, plastic reconstructive surgeries, life-changing general surgeries, VVF (vesico-vaginal fistula) surgeries, dental care and basic oral health education and ministering of terminally ill individuals and their families.
 

His Exellency, Minister of Health gives a welcoming speech on dockside


Mercy Ships will also help in the capacity building by organizing leadership conferences and agriculture training program. In total Mercy Ships hopes to provide more than 1,250 free surgeries, 11,000 dental procedures and the training of 900 local leaders of churches, communities and government representatives.

A general screening is planned for Lomé, February 1st, in a location yet to be determined.

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 by Don and Deyon Stephens, Mercy Ships has worked in more than 70 countries providing services valued at more than $834 million, impacting more than 2.9 million direct beneficiaries.

Each year Mercy Ships has over 1200 volunteers from over 40 nations. Professionals including surgeons, dentists, nurses, health care trainers, teachers, cooks, seamen, engineers, and agriculturalists donate their time and skills to the effort. Mercy Ships seeks to become the face of love in action, bringing hope and healing to the poor. For more information click on http://www.mercyships.org/