Floating Blood Bank Helps Thousands in Africa

The Africa Mercy, run by the international charity Mercy Ships (Garden Valley, TX, USA), has no facilities to store blood onboard the ship; therefore, patients who need blood during and after surgery, receive and immediate blood transfusion from the ship's volunteers on board, who donate their blood on demand. At any given time, about 30 potential donors for each blood type are aboard the Africa Mercy, all of whose blood has been checked on arrival. The in situ laboratory compares patient blood samples, which are taken and tested upon admission, with potential donors. Volunteers can be called upon day or night to give a pint of blood, with the donation often being walked straight over to the patient for transfusion while it is still warm. The Africa Mercy has been on a 10-month outreach mission to Benin since February 2009, and is currently docked in Cotonou (Benin), conducting free surgeries and medical care for the people of Benin.

"Our volunteers range from doctors and nurses, to cooks, cleaners and engineers but all have the opportunity to save a life by donating their blood - and many do,” said Judy Polkinhorn, executive director of Mercy Ships UK. "Mercy Ships only exists because of our volunteers giving their time and experience to help those most in need and many of our patients exist today because a volunteer also gave them their blood. We are extremely grateful and thankful to all or volunteers and truly believe they are a unique group of individuals.”

Mercy Ships is a global charity that was founded in 1978. The organization operates the largest nongovernmental hospital ship in the world, providing free health care, community development, agriculture and water projects, mental health programs, and AIDS/HIV prevention and care to terminally ill patients in developing nations around the world, with a special focus on Africa.

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