President John Dramani Mahama yesterday welcomed the crew and medical staff of Global Mercy, a hospital ship docked at Tema Port, in the Greater Accra Region.
The medical ship is in the country for a 10-month mission to provide free specialised surgeries and dental care to Ghanaians.
The President, who was accompanied by the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, and other senior government officials, was received by the Lifetime Director of Mercy Ships International, Dame Ann Gloag.
He was conducted around the various departments of the vessel where he interacted with patients, including children who had undergone life-changing orthopaedic surgeries, and their mothers.
Mission
President Mahama said bringing the ship to Ghana was a complex undertaking with many conditions precedent, and praised Ms Gloag for her persistence in seeing the mission through.
President John Mahama (arrowed) with dignitaries after the ceremony to welcome the Mercy Ship at the Tema Port
"I did not know how complex it was to get a ship like this in.
When I met Dame Anne last year, and they said the ship was scheduled to come, there were many conditions precedent that we had to work on, and there were times she hit a brick wall, but I can tell you that Dame Anne never gives up.
She will push that wall down.
"I have seen smiles on children’s faces after the life-changing surgeries they have had.
It is enough to melt the most wicked heart. Looking at the mothers and the gratitude on their faces was also heart-warming," he said.
President Mahama described Mercy Ships as a beacon of hope in a world where "countries are becoming more selfish, countries are beginning to become unilateral, people are tired of giving to charity and all that.
Mercy Ships remains a floating vessel of what it is: mercy and humanism".
The President said the value of the visit must extend beyond the surgeries performed while the ship is in port, and directed the Ministry of Health to work closely with Mercy Ships on patient referrals, follow-up care and professional training.
"Ghanaian surgeons, anaesthesia professionals, nurses and other health workers will have the opportunity to learn alongside the team aboard the Global Mercy.
A patient's care must continue safely even after Global Mercy has left port," he said.
Commitment
President Mahama reaffirmed his government's commitment to expanding free primary healthcare, strengthening the National Health Insurance Scheme and investing in hospitals and health workers.
He said through the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, the government was working to reduce the burden of serious non-communicable diseases on families, adding that the specialist care provided by Mercy Ships was a valuable contribution to the wider effort.
The President further directed sector ministries and agencies to work together so that patient movement, medical supplies and other operational arrangements could be handled promptly and in accordance with the law.
"Our support for this mission must be practical and accountable.
Already Dame Anne has apprised me of two challenges they are facing, and I can assure you that when I leave this ship, those problems will be sorted out," he said.
Appreciation
President Mahama acknowledged Mercy Ships' long history of service to Ghana, noting that the organisation had served the country on four previous visits as far back as 1991.
Those missions, he said, delivered more than 2,600 surgeries and 16,700 dental procedures and supported the development of 139 Ghanaian health professionals.
He thanked Archbishop Nicholas Duncan Williams and other friends of Mercy Ships who have worked to sustain the partnership.
"On behalf of all the Ghanaian patients you are going to see between now and the end of 10 months when this mission is over, I want to express our gratitude to Mercy Ships.
This is not the first time you have been here, and this is not going to be the last time Mercy Ships is coming here," he said.
President Mahama also expressed gratitude to the donors, the medical team, crew, captain and volunteers.
