Meet the Global Mercy: The Latest Addition to Mercy Ships

Scrubs Mag is proud to be an official partner of Mercy Ships, the non-profit organization that’s transcending borders and saving lives. The group is made up of volunteer providers and nurses who want to increase access and training to healthcare in developing nations, including some of the poorest and most remote regions of the world.

Now the group is getting ready to unveil the Global Mercy, a 571-foot long vessel, which is set to launch in early 2021. The ship is fully equipped with the latest clinical equipment so providers can bring state-of-the-art medical care to those who need it most.

Setting Sail on the Global Mercy

The crew at Mercy Ships is used to working on a floating hospital. Their ships come with clean water, reliable electricity, and expansive care centers. 

And the Global Mercy is no exception. The ship is now considered the world’s largest civilian hospital ship, which will more than double the group’s medical and surgery capacity, bringing hope and healing to more people that regularly go without essential medical care. Over its expected 50-year lifespan, volunteer providers are expected to perform over 150,000 surgeries on board, changing thousands of lives in the process.

As the organization’s first purpose-built hospital ship, crews spent over 16 months converting the vessel into the state-of-the-art medical facility that it is today. Complete with an ICU, patient recovery ward, 6 operating rooms/theaters , the ship has everything providers need to complete a range of procedures, including maxillofacial and plastic-reconstructive surgery, tumor removal, debilitating burn contractures, cleft lip and palate repair, orthopedics, cataract removal, and obstetric fistula repair. 

With little access to medical care, many of these patients would have nowhere else to turn if it weren’t for Mercy Ships. Many developing nations and impoverished communities lack access to clean drinking water, electricity, and trained medical professionals. Now, these individuals can go on with their lives without having to live with these conditions, most of which can easily be prevented or removed with the right medical care.

Breaking Down Barriers to Healthcare

Once it becomes operational, the Global Mercy will be vital to the health and revitalization of developing countries across the continent of Africa and beyond. Mercy Ships came about with the goal of increasing access to healthcare in these areas. Operating a floating hospital is the fastest and most effective way to bring free care to those in developing nations, considering 50% of the world’s population lives near coastlines. The Global Mercy will be able to quickly dock at cities and ports across the continent, bringing hope and healing to all those nearby.

In addition to caring for those in need onboard, Mercy Ships is here to create lasting change. Volunteer medical professionals spend time training the local populations and revitalizing existing healthcare facilities, so community leaders have the tools and knowledge to perform surgeries after the Global Mercy leaves port. The new vessel even comes with an onboard medical simulation suite for onsite training and demonstrations. 

These training sessions ensure that healthcare providers use proper practices to reduce the risk of lengthy hospital stays, mishaps, accidents, and infections. The courses focus not only on safe surgical care, but also various paramedical healthcare services, including Biomed, sterilization, and a nutritional agriculture training program for healthy living.

Mercy Ships has already performed over 105,000 surgical procedures, with over 1,300 annual volunteers. The group has also trained over 42,000 professionals across the developing world, making these communities healthier and more resilient.

The Global Mercy is expected to be unveiled in early 2021, which will mark the start of a new chapter at Mercy Ships. If you’re interested in getting involved either by donating or as a volunteer, visit their website to learn more about this exciting development.