How Mercy Ships helps in Africa
Help make surgery possible
Safe surgery matters in Sub-Saharan Africa
A condition that can be treated with surgery shouldn't determine someone's future. Yet across sub-Saharan Africa, distance, cost, limited specialist care and overstretched health services can put safe surgery beyond reach.
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93% lack access to safe, affordable and timely surgical care
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2 per 100,000 Specialist surgical, anaesthetic and obstetric providers in Sub-Saharan Africa
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40M+ surgical needs are estimated to go unmet in Africa each year
Mercy Ships works alongside African nations to expand access to safe surgical care. Through hospital ships, skilled volunteers and long-term partnerships, people receive free, specialized surgery while healthcare professionals strengthen skills that can benefit patients for years to come.
You can't change the whole world, but you can change the world for one person.
How the partnership works
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It Starts With an Invitation
Every field service begins with an invitation from a national government. Together with healthcare leaders and professionals, priorities are identified around where surgical care, education and collaboration can make the greatest difference.
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A Hospital Ship Arrives
Operating theatres, specialist teams, equipment, recovery facilities and training spaces arrive together on one mobile platform.
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Care and Learning Happen Side by Side
Patients receive free, specialized surgery while healthcare professionals strengthen expertise through mentoring, education and shared clinical learning.
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The Partnership Can Continue
The ship has a departure date. The relationships, strengthened expertise and some programs do not have to.
Two ways impact happens
Life-changing surgery
Care for the person who needs it today.
Specialized surgery can restore sight, movement and essential function, helping someone return to family, school, work and everyday life.
Education and training
Expertise that can reach future patients.
Healthcare professionals learn and work side by side through mentoring, practical training and education developed around locally identified priorities.
Why hospital ships?
Rather than bringing separate pieces of a hospital, a ship brings the surgical environment together: operating theatres, diagnostics, specialist teams, recovery facilities and spaces for learning. Once one field service ends, the platform can travel to another partner nation.
Built on partnership
Lasting impact is not created by one organisation. Mercy Ships works at the invitation of national governments and alongside Ministries of Health, hospitals, universities, healthcare professionals, local teams and other partners. Different expertise comes together around locally identified priorities and the people who need care.
See the difference
Across African nations, every field service has its own story of patients cared for, professionals strengthened and partnerships built.
FAQ
What does Mercy Ships do in Africa?
Mercy Ships works alongside African nations to expand access to safe surgical care. On board hospital ships, patients receive free, specialized surgery and follow-up care, while healthcare professionals strengthen their skills through training, mentoring and shared learning. Together, these efforts help meet today's surgical needs while strengthening care for the future.
How does Mercy Ships work with African countries?
Every partnership starts with the country itself. Mercy Ships works at the invitation of host nations and alongside governments, Ministries of Health, healthcare leaders and local professionals to understand priorities and shape each field service around identified needs. That collaboration can include surgery, training, mentoring and initiatives designed to strengthen surgical care over time.
Why does Mercy Ships use hospital ships?
Hospital ships bring a fully equipped surgical environment, specialist teams and training facilities directly to countries where access to safe surgery can be limited. Because many people live within reach of the coast, ships provide a practical way to bring operating theatres, diagnostic services, recovery care and healthcare training together in one place.
What types of surgery does Mercy Ships provide?
Mercy Ships provides specialized surgery based on the needs identified for each field service. This can include maxillofacial surgery, general surgery, pediatric orthopedic surgery, reconstructive plastic surgery and ophthalmic surgery, as well as women's health procedures in some programs. Patients may also receive rehabilitation and other care to support their recovery.
Is Mercy Ships medical care free?
Yes. Patients selected for treatment with Mercy Ships receive their surgery and related care free of charge. Donations, partnerships and volunteers help make it possible for patients to receive treatment without having to pay for the care provided by Mercy Ships.
Powered by people
A hospital ship needs far more than surgeons. Nurses, maritime crew, engineers, technicians, cooks, teachers, administrators and many others bring different skills together so patients can receive care.
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Two weeks of annual leave, spent operating
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An african surgeon, not an african beneficiary
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The hospital can’t get there without the ship
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The hospital needs engineers too
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A front-row seat to healing
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Bringing her skills home
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He came for one week. Then everything changed.
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The ship that inspired his career became his mission
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The teacher behind the volunteers
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Her skills keep surgery working
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She grew up on board. Then came back as a nurse.
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She came on board as an electrician. It changed where her career could go.
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Helping patients take the next step
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A few weeks. For more than 20 years.
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Her engineering career started somewhere unexpected
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He almost didn't apply
You can help make surgery possible
For someone waiting for care, surgery can change what comes next. Your support can help make safe surgery possible today while contributing to stronger healthcare for the future.
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