A 32-year-old police officer became the first patient to receive life-transforming surgery on board Mercy Ships’ hospital ship (www.MercyShips.org) yesterday as the vessel returned to Sierra Leone to deliver a further 1,400-plus surgeries over the next 10 months.

Father-of-one, Sahr, had been suffering since the age of 20 from a hernia that had grown to the size of a large avocado. It left him living in daily pain and struggling to eat, due to the discomfort it caused.

Sahr said: “I think this problem was caused by the hard work I was doing when I was farming,” he said remembering his younger days before he became a police officer in a Western Area Rural District about 30 miles outside Freetown.

Sahr said: “I was always complaining of sickness.” He could not sit for long without feeling pain and had to learn to push his hernia back inside his stomach to avoid suffering.

Nervous of medical interventions, the dedicated police officer was on duty when he learned of the Global Mercy™ returning to deliver free surgeries and training. The patient registration team paid a courtesy visit to the commanding officer at his police station. When the registration information was shared on their police forum, he decided to register in the hope he could receive the help he needed.

Surgeon volunteer from the USA, Dr Timothy Burandt, who would eventually operate on Sahr said: “Hernias are basically a hole in your abdominal wall, and some of your organs can be forced through that hole and that hurts. It also can interrupt the digestive system because those organs carry food and fluid through your body.

“The hernias that we see in Africa tend to be larger and more complex because patients don't have an opportunity to seek care and see doctors earlier on.”

Dr Burandt explained: “Ultimately this would get larger and more painful. It would get large enough and a piece of bowel would come through there, potentially twist on itself, strangle, and he could die from that.”

But thanks to safe surgery, Sahr’s hope of a better life devoid of pain was ignited after about an hour in the operating room on board.

“He will not have to think about this again. The chances of him having a recurrence are infinitesimally small. He can … get back to being a father and a brother and a son and his normal life,” Dr. Burandt shared.

The Global Mercy was invited to extend her stay in Freetown by His Excellency, Julius Maada Bio, the President of Sierra Leone, after performing 1,979 life-changing surgeries for 1,728 patients and training 145 healthcare professionals between August 2023 and June 2024. In response to the invitation, the world’s largest purpose-built hospital ship docked back in Freetown on August 14, 2024.

Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, was amongst 300 distinguished guests and partners who welcomed the hospital ship back into Freetown last week.

Her Excellency, Dr. Bio, said: "Beyond providing direct medical care, Mercy Ships has focused on empowering civil union healthcare professionals on board the Global Mercy. They have the privilege of training 145 individuals, including residents in surgery and anesthesia, surgical and operating room nurses, nurse anesthesia providers and psychotherapists. This investment in local talent is crucial for the enhancement of the capacity of our health care system.”

“Together, we are building a future where every person has the opportunity to live healthier and more fulfilling lives. Here is to our shared vision, to the lives we will continue to change, and to the enduring impact and our collective effort that we will provide for our great nation. May God Bless you all.”

Dr. Sandra Lako, Country Director for Mercy Ships in Sierra Leone, explained that despite the efforts of the government and the expanding surgical workforce, there is a huge unmet surgical need in Sierra Leone. 

She said: “And so together with the Government of Sierra Leone, we can partner and work together to achieve their goal of safe surgery for every person in Sierra Leone.”

More than 200 national volunteers have been trained to work on board and healthcare workers will receive ongoing mentoring.