The newest Mercy Ship , the Global Mercy™ arrived in Dakar Senegal on 14 February 2023. While the ship hosted surgical training in Senegal in 2022, this year marks the first time that specialized surgeries will take place on this newly built hospital ship. This field service will include partnership with ministries of health in both Senegal and The Gambia, serving both countries through the port of Dakar.
Designed with purpose, the Global Mercy hospital ship is 174 meters long, 28.6 meters wide and has space for 200 patients, six operating rooms, a laboratory, general outpatient clinics, dental, and eye clinics, and training facilities. The hospital decks cover a total area of 7,000 square meters and contain the latest training facilities. The ship can accommodate up to 950 people when docked, including crewmembers and volunteers from all over the world and will serve collaboratively in the future with the Africa Mercy, which has been in operation since 2007 and is currently undergoing refit to return to service in the fall.
It is expected that more than 150,000 lives will be transformed through surgery alone, during the next 50 years of the Global Mercy’s lifespan, with each transformation representing a person with a name, a face, a story, a family, and a purpose. In addition, thousands of African medical professionals will receive training and mentoring with the goal of multiplied impact within their own communities.
