Medical Capacity Building in Liberia
Canadian team member Ms. Annick Sylvestre, on secondment to Mercy Ships part of the Country Engagement Team (CET) – Operations Liaison, provides an update on Mercy Ships recent medical capacity building work in Liberia.
Through the Africa Mercy had to depart Africa in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mercy Ships partnerships and programs have continued, running a range of training and capacity building programs this year on the continent.
Mental Health Training in May
The medical capacity building included training:
- Thirty-seven individuals (primarily healthcare workers/mental health clinicians/social workers in Monrovia) in partnership with the Ministry of Health.
- Forty-six spiritual leaders (Catholic and Evangelical) in Gbarnga in Bong County for a week with two partners.
- Twenty people, including healthcare workers, police, spiritual leaders and bailiffs, participated in the training in partnership with the Ministry of Health.
The mental health training uses Dr. Lyn’s book called The Understanding People, Mental Health, and Trauma (UPMHT) throughout the training.
Mercy Ships received the following endorsement from a partner following the mental health training that was delivered in Gbarnga, Liberia:
I feel highly honoured to say some words of such a powerful mastermind book for humanity by Dr. Lyn Westman, who upon meeting her continues to be for me a ‘contagiously’ good encounter still wonderfully unfolding. The Understanding People, Mental Health, and Trauma (UPMHT) is a must ‘experience’ book, especially for persons interested in helping relationships. It proves easy to read, to learn and to apply in one’s life and others. It forms a solid bridge linking intellectual knowing and practical knowing. UPMHT is an amazingly powerful pedagogical tool that incarnates the reality of mental health and trauma to the level of every person – regardless of the individual’s origin, age, sex, race, culture, religion, tradition, status, etc. I am highly grateful to God to have met Dr. Lyn Westman and honoured to have experienced this book through her tutorship. Anyone searching for a clear, down-to-earth, and a real blend of knowledge, experience and wisdom book about helping self and/or others live a better and flourishing life in this our fallen world, I highly recommend you consider this book.
Biomedical Training on Anesthesia Machines
After receiving a request from our governmental partner, Mercy Ships received and shipped eight anesthesia machines with monitors and training tools. Mercy Ships will train 18 biomedical technicians in three blocks of two days on those machines (six per group). We were also ensuring that healthcare workers who will use the equipment know how to use them.
There will be an eight-week Biomedical Technician Training for the first nine participants in two blocks: 21 June – 16 July and 26 July – 20 August. Additionally, there will then be a second training program for the final nine participants that is scheduled to start in September 2021.
Visiting Healthcare Professional
We are preparing to welcome an otolaryngologist (ENT) surgeon. There is no ENT surgeon in Liberia – as you can imagine, there is a great need, and we are very much looking forward to getting started! Our ENT surgeon will be mentoring general surgeons and providing surgeries at local facilities.
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
On this Day of the Seafarer, Mercy Ships wants to honor all the people like Ishaka, volunteer assistant bosun on board the Global Mercy.
An Electrician’s Journey to Finding Purpose and Professional Growth
When Jean Jacques Diouf came on board for the 1st time, he’d packed his suitcase with enough supplies for one week. Learn more about his professional growth!
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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