Recently a new documentary about Mercy Ships premièred in London. The documentary called The Surgery Ship follows the transformational work medical volunteers are performing on board the world’s largest independent charity hospital ship. The film is narrated by award winning actress Toni Collette and examines the work done by volunteers who provide free surgeries to patients that are desperate and living in poverty stricken countries in Africa.
Life on board the ship
The Surgery Ship is an Australian documentary that looks at life on board the world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship called the Africa Mercy. The floating hospital travels to some of the world’s poorest countries to deliver free medical treatment that more often than not is life saving. The ship is owned by the international charity Mercy Ships which is headquartered in the United Kingdom.
Delivering medical aid to some of the poorest people in the world
The documentary shows a team of volunteer nurses and doctors from Australia joining an international crew that is travelling to the West African country, the Republic of Guinea. In that part of the world there is unimaginable poverty and many people live on less than £2.50 a day and have to put up with poor health care provision. When they arrive the volunteers will have to confront some of the most severe medical issues they have ever seen.
An inspirational story
Madeleine Hetherton and her crew went on location in Guinea to document the inspirational stories of the both patients and their doctors. Ms Hetherton says the documentary is primarily about the challenges of delivering aid. Whilst the ship is indeed well quipped and comes with some of the best surgeons and support staff in the world, there are some very hard limits as to what it can achieve. No matter how hard the doctors work, the line of patients at the door is never ending. In spite of these issues, the documentary is also a story about the daily heroism of both doctors and their patients.
“We are really excited to be bringing this documentary to the UK. It is the perfect way to showcase the incredible work of our volunteers, who really are the lifeline of the charity. This film gives you just a snapshot of the life-changing work that is carried out on board.” Judy Polkinhorn, Executive Director of Mercy Ships UK, said.
