The aid organization Mercy Ships has begun its sixth mission off Madagascar with the “Africa Mercy”. The volunteer doctors have already successfully completed the first operation on board.
This is the third time in a row that Mercy Ships has been deployed off Madagascar, and the aid organization’s ships have now docked a total of six times. For people who do not have safe, prompt and affordable access to medical care, the efforts of the globally active team are invaluable.
At the beginning of May, the “Africa Mercy” reached the port of Toamasina. The next mission began with a success: 69-year-old Madagascan Delphine underwent eye surgery and regained her sight. “The treatment of the first patient on board the organization’s largest private hospital ships worldwide is always considered a special moment in the beginning of a mission,” Mercy Ships announced. Hundreds more patients are expected to receive surgical treatment on board the “Africa Mercy” in the coming months. Last year, Mercy Ships facilitated a total of over 3,000 operations.
Patient Delphine suffered from cataracts. At the beginning of last year, a cataract had gradually formed – initially she only experienced blurred vision until she lost her sight in December 2025. The procedure on board the “Africa Mercy” took just 30 minutes. “Seeing her sight for the first time in many months and being able to recognize her daughter’s face after such a long time is why we do what we do,” said Ashleigh Wong, head of the ophthalmology team at Mercy Ships.
The organization’s first mission off Madagascar was 30 years ago. The fact that the ships have now returned several times is “a sign of a long-standing partnership”, Mercy Ships said. The aim is to improve access to surgical care, particularly in the fields of general surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery, general pediatric surgery, pediatric orthopedics, plastic reconstructive surgery, ophthalmology, dentistry and surgical gynecology.
Mercy Ships expects to perform more than 1,400 surgeries and more than 1,400 dental procedures as part of the mission now underway. In addition to these donor-funded interventions, the organization will also invest in sustainably strengthening the country’s healthcare systems by providing more than 22,500 hours of training and education to healthcare professionals across Madagascar.
The aid organization is always looking for volunteers in various professional fields for its missions. Anyone interested in working for Mercy Ships can contact the German office based in Landsberg am Lech or support the organization’s work with a donation. Further information can be found at mercyships.org.
“Africa Mercy” in service off Africa since 2007
The “Africa Mercy”, built in Denmark in 1980 as the railroad ferry “Dronning Ingrid” and acquired by Mercy Ships through donations in 1999, has been operating off Africa since 2007 following a lengthy refit. The 152 m long ship has 474 beds and the hospital occupies the largest part of the former ferry deck with 1,200m2. The second ship in the fleet is the “Global Mercy”, at 174 m in length the largest hospital ship in the world and the first to be designed and built for this purpose. With the support of the MSC Foundation and the MSC Group, a further hospital ship based on the “Global Mercy” is also to be built.
