Reconstructive Surgery

For the poor in developing nations, accessing necessary medical and surgical care is extremely difficult due to their remote location, lack of medical facilities and financial constraints. Conditions that would be treated in the early stages in developed nations, grow to the point of being life-threatening. The consequence for many is a lifetime of disability and rejection.

We provide reconstructive surgeries for deformities from congenital abnormalities, tumours, cleft lips/palates, cancrum oris (noma), injuries and trauma. Our holistic approach to health care aids the education of our patients and reintegration into their families and communities.

Tens of thousands of children are born with cleft lips and/or palates every year. It is a genetic problem easily repaired in the developed world, but babies born in West Africa have little option for corrective surgery. Cleft-lip babies often suffer from malnourishment because they cannot feed properly. Children who do survive are often ostracized by their family members and villages; some are rejected because the village considers their deformity a sign of evil.

Mercy Ships performs cleft operations on people of all ages, from the very young to the very old. No matter the age, the smiles of joy on their new faces evidence the life-changing power of these simple procedures.

Cleft lips/palates are the number-one facial birth defect and the fourth most-common birth defect overall, affecting 1 in 700-1,000 live births (WHO).

Grotesque and disfiguring facial tumours seem particularly prevalent in West Africa. They often begin as small growths, but when left untreated, can grow to the point of being life-threatening, slowly causing suffocation and/or starvation and rendering the victims social outcasts. Mercy Ships has performed thousands of life-changing maxillo-facial surgeries, giving many a chance at a new life, and saving some from a slow death.

Not seen in the Western world since concentration camps, noma, or cancrum oris, is an infectious disease destroying oro-facial tissues. Predominantly affecting children, the disease advances quickly, spreading to the nose, lips and cheeks. Though preventable and treatable, most of those afflicted with this flesh-eating disease have no access to the basic health care needed, and thousands die from the condition each year. Those who survive are not only disfigured, but also have difficulty eating, breathing and swallowing.

Mercy Ships performs numerous reconstructive facial surgeries on noma victims, affording them a chance to lead normal lives. We contribute to the eradication of noma through community health education, dental programs and water and sanitation teaching. Poverty, malnutrition, poor oral hygiene, lack of sanitation, and diseases, particularly measles, all contribute to the risk of noma.

About 70-90% of noma cases are fatal in the absence of care. Africa remains the hardest-hit continent (WHO).

Injuries from violence, accidents and the consequences of war create acute and neglected trauma not seen in developed nations. Often injuries are compounded by lack of adequate treatment and require specialised procedures to provide relief.

Bringing Hope and Healing
Mercy Ships aims to reduce the effects of neglected trauma, disease and congenital conditions by providing specialised surgical treatment. Mercy Ships uses hospital ships complemented by land-based programs to deliver free specialised health care and community development services to the forgotten poor.

Reconstructive Surgery
Mercy Ships partners with the local medical community in each country to identify surgical candidates. In onboard operating theatres, highly-skilled surgeons perform thousands of free maxillo-facial, orthopaedic and reconstructive operations, transforming faces and saving lives.

Recovery & Counselling
Patients recuperate under world-class care in the ship’s hospital ward, where they are given moral and spiritual support. Mercy Ships aims to provide a caring, holistic environment to help patient recovery.

Training & Prevention
Mercy Ships partners with local surgeons and nurses to provide training and educational opportunities in appropriate techniques. In addition, Mercy Ships contributes to the long-term eradication of preventable diseases and resulting extreme conditions by conducting community health education, dental programs and instruction in water and sanitation principles.