Nurses Makes Mercy Dash To Africa

Posted by Marius on Aug 17, 2010 at 08:18 am

Reposted with Permission – THE HUTT NEWS – New Zealand

Four Hutt Valley nurses recently swapped the comforts of home for the confines of a hospital ship, bringing emergency care to some of the world’s poorest people. Rhona JasonSmith, Pat Sarginson, Becky Martin and Julie-Ann Vengua travelled at their own expense to West Africa to volunteer their skills and time.

In Togo they met another Hutt nurse, Alison Brieseman, who for the past three years has managed the Mercy Ships operating theatres, delivering free surgeries on the world’s largest nongovernmental hospital ship.

For thousands of Africans, the minute-long walk down the long corridor which runs the length of the hospital ship Africa Mercy is the final leg in a search for physical, emotional and spiritual renewal.

At the hallway end are two sealed doors leading to a state-of the- art operating suite. JasonSmith is one of about 800 nurses who volunteer their skills every year with Mercy Ships to serve people with limited or often no access to healthcare in developing nations.

‘‘I’m utterly impressed with how Mercy Ships can bring an international team together, constantly change the majority of them every few weeks and still manage to conduct surgery at first world standards with efficiency and great team work,’’ she says.

‘‘I think one of the prime reasons is that Alison Brieseman retains a commitment to operating theatre nursing of the highest standards, and still keeps her eye on the reason why Mercy Ships is in Africa.’’ Brieseman accepts only experienced operating theatre staff from a pool of countries with similar first world operating standards.

‘‘That means they can hit the ground running regardless of language barriers. ‘‘[Brieseman’s] team leaders are constantly orientating new staff and it’s these long-term outreach staff members who manage, against some very interesting odds, to maintain such a seamless service,’’ JasonSmith says.

Mercy Ships’ Africa Mercy has six operating theatres, staffed by short-term and long-term crew who come from around the globe to share their skills with Africa’s disabled and diseased poor. Brieseman says the entire operating room team consists of 50 people, and only five are longterm staff.

‘‘You would think there’d be a really high stress level and that people disagree about everything. ‘‘But it’s just not like that. It’s a fun place to be. It’s a real testimony to the grace of God.’’ The Hutt woman has served with Mercy Ships for six years, first worked as an operating room nurse.

She’s held the position of operating room supervisor since the inauguration of the newest vessel, Africa Mercy, in June 2007. Each year Mercy Ships alleviates the health care needs in a different western African nation.

These five Hutt Valley nurses have assisted in the 2800 surgeries performed onboard the Africa Mercy in Togo since February. Ashore, other Mercy Ships crew worked in eye clinics, dental care, community development projects and sustainable healthcare training. Zhalmaine Tuya has recently completed her third tour of duty with Mercy Ships.

‘‘I didn’t expect my years at Hutt to become a training ground for maxillofacial surgery on the Africa Mercy,’’ she says. ‘‘My exposure to rare cases such as noma has become an advantage in my nursing practice in theatre. ‘‘The often benign massive tumours we operate on, rare in most parts of the world, have become a norm on the ship.’’

The facial disfigurement caused by these tumours cause a great deal of embarrassment for patients. They are perceived as cursed, with superstitious beliefs still common in these parts of the world.

‘‘They are often shunned by society because of the way they look,’’ Tuya says. ‘‘Some of these tumours are so disfiguring causing some individuals to isolate themselves from society. ‘‘From this experience I’ve learned to look past physical appearance; to look deeper into the soul because behind it is a person, a story, a life in most parts of the world, have become a norm on the ship.’’ The facial disfigurement caused by these tumours cause a great deal of embarrassment for patients.

They are perceived as cursed, with superstitious beliefs still common in these parts of the world.

‘‘They are often shunned by society because of the way they look,’’ Tuya says. ‘‘Some of these tumours are so disfiguring causing some individuals to isolate themselves from society. ‘‘From this experience I’ve learned to look past physical appearance; to look deeper into the soul because behind it is a person, a story, a life.

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