US ophthalmic surgeon, Dr Glenn Strauss, and the surgery recipient on board the Africa Mercy. PICTURE: Mercy Ships.
Two milestones were marked on-board the floating hospital ship the Africa Mercy, currently docked in Cameroon, this week – the same week in which organisations all over the world celebrated the UN’s International Volunteer Day.
US ophthalmic surgeon, Dr Glenn Strauss, performed the 30,000th surgery on the ship, 10 years after he performed the very first surgery onboard the Africa Mercy, operated by Mercy Ships, in 2007.
“I could never have imagined when I did that first operation on the AFM in 2007, that now, 10 years later, I’d be doing the 30,000th case,” said the Texan who volunteers his time on the ship. “Not only that, but I’ve been privileged to train 47 ophthalmic surgeons who will provide tens of thousands more safe cataract surgeries in Africa and around the world.”
Dr Strauss’ main goal has been to train ophthalmic surgeons as well as to provide the surgeries himself. He teaches a low cost revolutionary technique to remove cataracts involving manual small-incision cataract surgery.
Don Stephens, president and founder of Mercy Ships, said the milestones – the 30,000 surgey and 10 year anniversary – “are the epitome of what Mercy Ships strives to do”. “[A]nd Dr Strauss is truly the image of our volunteers, all of whom are dedicated and caring individuals who change lives every day, thousands of times over,” he said.
Since its deployment 10 years ago, the Africa Mercy has docked in nine African countries for a total of 12 field services. Its volunteers offer a range of different surgery types including maxillofacial, plastic reconstructive, and women’s health surgeries including obstetric fistula surgery as well as pediatric orthopedics, general, and ophthalmic – both adult and pediatric – surgeries.
The volunteers on Mercy Ships also provide training courses which have been attended by more than 7,800 African healthcare professionals.
Mercy Ships was founded in 1978 and since then has worked in more than 70 countries providing services valued at more than $US1.3 billion with more than 2.56 million direct beneficiaries.