The life-changing surgeries Mercy Ships provides free of charge
Not rare or experimental procedures. Common operations that most of the world takes for granted.
Almost everything performed aboard a Mercy Ships hospital ship is routine somewhere else in the world. That is the point.
Cleft lip and palate repair
A cleft lip is corrected in a single operation, usually in early childhood. Left unrepaired it affects feeding, speech and how a child is treated by everyone around them.
Cataract surgery
Among the fastest operations in medicine, and one of the most transformative. Cataracts are the leading cause of avoidable blindness worldwide, and removing them restores sight in minutes per eye.
Maxillofacial and tumour surgery
Benign tumours of the face, jaw and neck grow for years when there is no surgeon to remove them. They eventually interfere with eating, speaking and breathing. This is the most complex work done on board, requiring specialist surgeons, a blood supply and long procedures.
Orthopaedic surgery
Bowed legs, knock knees and conditions such as Blount's disease are corrected in childhood before the joints are permanently damaged. The operation is short; the casting and rehabilitation that follow take months.
Reconstructive plastic surgery
Burn scars contract as they heal, slowly pulling limbs out of use. Release surgery restores movement, though it does not remove the scarring. Recovery depends as much on physiotherapy as on the operation.
Goitre and thyroid surgery
An enlarged thyroid presses on the windpipe and the oesophagus, and is highly visible. Many patients withdraw from school, work and community life long before the physical effects become dangerous.
General surgery
Hernias and similar conditions are unremarkable to treat and disabling to live with. For someone whose income depends on physical work, an untreated hernia ends their ability to earn.
Dental care
Untreated dental disease causes constant pain, malnutrition and serious infection. Dental clinics also function as a screening layer: patients arrive expecting an extraction and are found to need surgery.
How patients are selected
Screening is carried out with local health authorities ahead of and during a field service. Selection is based on what can be treated safely with the resources on board, and on the likelihood of a good long-term outcome.
Not everyone who comes can be helped, and that is the hardest part of the work.
Questions about the surgery we provide
What kinds of surgery does Mercy Ships provide?
Cleft lip and palate repair, cataract surgery, maxillofacial and tumour surgery, orthopaedic surgery, reconstructive plastic surgery for burn contractures, goitre and thyroid surgery, general surgery including hernia repair, and dental care. The exact mix varies by field service and is agreed with the host nation.
How are patients chosen for surgery?
Through screening carried out with local health authorities before and during a field service. Selection is based on what can be treated safely with the resources on board and the likelihood of a good long-term outcome. Not everyone who comes can be helped.
Does surgery cost the patient anything?
No. Surgery is provided free of charge to the patients we serve, including the care before and after the operation.
Does Mercy Ships perform emergency surgery?
No. The ships provide planned, scheduled surgery for conditions people have often lived with for years. Emergency and trauma care is the responsibility of local hospitals, and a hospital ship is not equipped to replace them.
What happens after the operation?
Patients stay on the ward for days or weeks depending on the procedure. Orthopaedic and burn patients then work with the rehabilitation team, sometimes for months, because without that work the surgical result is gradually lost.
Patients who received these operations
Each of these operations is routine somewhere in the world. These are the people for whom it was not.
