Nurse making waves in Africa | News

One of our nurses is set to spend three months volunteering on a floating hospital off the coast of Africa.

Debz Kefford is set to exchange Hascombe Ward, where she works in practice development, for the Global Mercy , which is the largest charity-run ship in the world and currently docked in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The 37,000-tonne vessel is part of  Mercy Ships and serves communities where access to safe, affordable, and timely surgery is extremely limited.

 As a result, countless people suffer and die from diseases and conditions that can easily be treated.

Debz will join the vessel, which has six operating theatres, in August and will serve as team lead for general surgery.

This will be the third time she has joined the ship and says the joy and gratitude from the patients is what brings her back.

“It is easy for us to access the treatment that we may need,” said Debz.

“However, for these communities, timely access to medical care is the exception rather than the norm.

“In Sierra Leone, there is one physician per 100,000 people, and there are children and adults suffering from painful injuries and illnesses that should be treatable.

“Seeing adults come alive after surgery for conditions we typically treat in babies, or witnessing a child’s transformation after cataract surgery, makes it all worthwhile.”