The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, says Ghana will use the 10-month Mercy Ships mission to expand access to specialist healthcare while strengthening the skills of local health professionals.

According to the Minister, the Global Mercy hospital ship, currently stationed at the Tema Port, is expected to provide at least 2,400 surgeries and dental treatments to Ghanaians during its stay.

He said the procedures will include treatment for conditions such as cleft lip and palate, cataracts, tumours, clubfoot and other orthopaedic conditions, as well as general and reconstructive surgeries.

Mr Akandoh said the mission would go beyond providing free treatment, with Ghanaian health professionals expected to train and work alongside the international medical team aboard the vessel.

“It is therefore important that we view the arrival of the Global Mercy not as a stand-alone intervention but as a collective effort to support and accelerate Ghana’s own national priorities,” he said.

He said the partnership would provide an opportunity to strengthen specialist healthcare delivery and build capacity within Ghana’s health system.

Mercy Ships CEO, Dr Michelle White, said about 200 patients had already undergone surgery, with thousands more surgical and dental procedures expected during the mission.

President John Dramani Mahama, who later visited the vessel, directed relevant government agencies to work closely with Mercy Ships to facilitate the smooth delivery of the mission.

He urged stakeholders to ensure that the benefits of the partnership extend beyond the ship’s 10-month stay, particularly through proper follow-up care and continued collaboration between Mercy Ships and Ghanaian health professionals.

The President also said patients should not lose hope because specialist treatment is either too far away or beyond their financial means.

The current mission is Mercy Ships’ fifth deployment to Ghana since 1991 and builds on previous interventions that delivered more than 2,600 surgeries and 16,700 dental procedures while supporting the professional development of Ghanaian healthcare workers.