By The Medical Society
Mercy Ships is a non-governmental organisation which has been providing free health care to the poorest of nations for the past 40 years. With the most pure intentions, their core values circle around integrity, excellence and loving others through service. Our group, The Medical Society, full of aspiring medical practitioners, are fascinated by the commitment and kindness of this organisation. Our goal this year is to raise money and awareness for the work they do.
About 5 billion people worldwide do not have adequate access to surgical interventions. Behind every statistic is a story, a life, a person waiting for hope and healing. Mercy Ships exists as a compassionate response to a world in need. Mercy Shops aims to respond to this challenge using their hospital ships. Health professionals provide specialized surgical care to the most underprivileged populations. Their aim is to improve the health systems in the countries visited. Mercy Ships goes to these countries by the invitation of their governments. They collaborate with the ministry of health to identify the needs.
Here are some examples of Mercy Ships surgical and medical programs:
- Dental/Oral health
- General surgery
- Maxillofacial Surgery
- Ophthalmic care
- Orthopedic program
- Palliative care
- Plastic Reconstructive surgery
- Women’s health
The Medical Society decided to choose an organisation that would have some relation to Switzerland, which is why we’re supporting Mercy Ships, which was founded in 1978 in Lausanne. Another reason why we chose to support Mercy Ships is because it is a very unique organisation, and the work it does is unlike many of the other organisations. We will be organising bake sales and sponsored walks throughout the year, to raise money as well as awareness to help put their work into action.
To know more about this organisation, this video provides further insight: https://vimeo.com/107254559
