A volunteer at medical charity organisation Mercy Ships, Harry Henry Kargbo has revealed that while registration with the charity has been going on smoothly, key group of registrants are slow to register. 

“Macro-facial group’s registration is slow and we understand that this group of people are in the country but are likely shy to do registration with the charity,” Kargbo said.

He encouraged this group of people to maximise the opportunity about to be presented by the medical charity.

“The charity is here to assist them free of cost and we want them to make use of this,” he stressed.

He also pleaded with people who know those with macro-facial issues to encourage them to register with the charity before work commence in August. He said that most people do not get timely information because they lack access to communication and social media.

Kargbo said the charity will not only spend 10 months in operating on people but also embark on capacity building where they will train local health practitioners after the ship returns.

The volunteer said that the ship last docked in Freetown in 2011 but its impact then was huge and that it could be possible more will benefit this year also.

He also affirmed that although registrations are ongoing in selected Community Health Centres (CHCs) up country, patients with cataracts would have to travel to at least Kissi Town in Waterloo to register.

Early in March, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation revealed that Mercy Ships will dock in Freetown in August and will perform surgical operations in all regions of the country.

Mercy ships is a medical charity organisation that has been offering pro bono service to patients in Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Senegal, Cameroon, Madagascar, Benin, Ghana, South Africa and Togo for over 25 years.

This year the charity’s Global Mercy will make its maiden dock in Freetown from Dakar where it has been offering free service to Senegal and The Gambia.