French Academy of Medicine – Dr. Pierre M’Pelé and Prof. Marc Gentilini
The end of the January National Academy of Medicine conference, which brought together eminent doctors and professors of medicine, addressed the following topics: the allergic risks of the RNA vaccine for COVID-19; mitochondrial pathologies and reproduction; and lead-free cardiac stimulation.
During this session, Dr. Pierre M’Pelé, Director of the Africa Bureau de Mercy Ships, was invited to present Mercy Ships’ primary mission: to provide surgical care to Africa’s poorest people. Above all, he reiterated the urgency of the situation:
“More than half of the world’s population, nearly 5 billion people, cannot access safe surgical and anaesthesia services.
Africa alone accounts for 25% of global morbidity and one third of clinical conditions requiring surgical, obstetric and anaesthesia care. The African continent is home to 17% of the world’s population but has only 2% of the world’s total number of doctors and only 0.7 surgical specialist per 100,000 inhabitants.
And this is where we come in: in addition to providing free surgery on board our hospital ships, we train local health professionals and renovate medical infrastructures. Our aim is to leave a lasting impact after our ship leaves the countries we serve.
Since its commissioning in 2007, our hospital ship the Africa Mercy has made 10 months field services in 11 countries in West and Central Africa and Madagascar.”
At the same conference, Professor Marc Gentilini, a famous specialist in infectious and tropical diseases at the Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris and Honorary President of the National Academy of Medicine and the French Red Cross, recalled Dr. Pierre M’Pelé’s career and praised the work of Mercy Ships:
“I was happy to welcome the young Congolese doctor Pierre M’Pelé to La Pitié hospital in Paris. He stayed for five years and left after having observed the first cases of AIDS patients in Congo who had been transported to La Pitié Salpêtrière hospital.
During about 10 years, he led the fight against AIDS in Congo, then joined UNAIDS and finally became the WHO representative in various African states. Such a great experience made him a particularly competent person, perfectly understood and respected in Africa, in Ethiopia, Benin, Togo, where he was also a WHO representative.
I would like to thank and congratulate Pierre for all the extraordinary work he has done and continues to do, since he retired from WHO, and joined Mercy Ships as a volunteer. I had the chance to visit the hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, an extraordinary medical platform which brings help to people in need in all the ports where it is docked.”
Mercy Ships Welcomes Presidential Visit on board, in Toamasina Harbor
Presidential Visit: Malagasy president His Excellency Andry Nirina Rajoelina visited patients and volunteers on board Mercy Ships’ hospital vessel to see for himself the lives being transformed.
Day of the Seafarer: One Maritime Volunteer’s Story
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An Electrician’s Journey to Finding Purpose and Professional Growth
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THE MSC FOUNDATION, THE MSC GROUP AND MERCY SHIPS INTERNATIONAL JOIN FORCES TO BUILD A NEW HOSPITAL SHIP
The new purpose-built hospital ship will expand the impact of Mercy Ships’ life-changing surgeries, anaesthetic care and surgical education for future generations of patients and healthcare professionals in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Woman Who Forged Her Way Through Walls: Florence Bangura’s Story
Florence’s journey from oldest to newest Mercy Ship came full circle when she met the Global Mercy™ in 2023, the same year that the purpose-built hospital ship began welcoming its patients on board. Today, you can find Florence, now 49 years old, down in the engine room as a hotel engineering assistant.
Transforming Sierra Leone’s Healthcare: A Vision for Safe and Affordable Surgery
As experts from the surgical and healthcare world gather for the 64th Annual Conference and Scientific Meeting of the West African College of Surgeons in Sierra Leone this week, a profound dedication to advancing surgical knowledge and practice in the region is palpable. At the forefront of discussions lies the conference’s pivotal theme: access to safe and affordable surgical and anesthetic care in West Africa. This theme highlights the pressing need to address disparities in healthcare capabilities and capacities across the region, especially the critical importance of equitable access to quality surgical interventions.
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