Capacity building, surgeries and healthcare

Mercy Ships increases access to health care throughout the world.

Through the deployment of the world’s largest, private hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, Mercy Ships helps fill the gaps in health care systems, while serving the dire and immediate needs of their population.

Mercy Ships improves the local health care infrastructure and builds capacity by providing training opportunities for medical professionals along with curative surgical interventions.

Collaborating with qualified local and international partners, Mercy Ships programs offer holistic support to developing nations striving to make health care accessible for all.

Since 1978, Mercy Ships has provided services and materials in developing nations valued at more than US$ 1 billion, including the following:

• performed more than 61,000 life-changing operations such as cleft lip and palate repair, cataract removal, orthopaedic procedures, facial reconstruction and obstetric fistula repair.

• treated over 539,000 patients in village clinics, with over 109,000 dental patients with more than 278,000 dental procedures performed.

• Trained more than 5,770 local health-care teachers who have in turn trained many others.

• trained over 29,400 local professionals in their area of expertise (anesthesiology, midwifery, sterilization, orthopaedic and reconstructive surgery, leadership).

• taught over 150,000 local people in basic health care.

• completed over 1,100 community development projects focusing on water and sanitation, education, infrastructure development and agriculture.