AFRICAN MERCY MISSION
Dannevirke clinician's intrepid journey
A Dannevirke clinician has taken an intrepid journey to the other side of the world to help people suffering deformities and conditions not usually seen in New Zealand.
Helen Trainor, 28, has been working as a volunteer on the Africa Mercy, a 152-metre-long hospital ship, moored off the coast of Cameroon.
The anaesthetic technician said because medical help had not been widely accessible in the impoverished nation, many of her patients lived for years with large tumours, hernias, cleft palates or bad burn scars, and were often much worse because they had gone untreated.
The ship can carry 450 people, has five wards, a school, a bank and even a Starbucks, Trainor said. People come from all around the world to volunteer, with six Kiwis currently on the crew.
Volunteering on the floating hospital was something Trainor had wanted to do for a long time, to help people, but also to gain medical experience working with patients suffering conditions she might not otherwise encounter.
‘‘The patients and problems they have are like nothing that I’ve ever seen before. At home you’d get treated early on.
‘‘The difference for them [in having treatment] is huge. In a lot of [these] communities, if you’ve got something wrong with you, you’ll be ostracised. So people go from not being able to work, to being able to, and to being able to integrate back into their communities.’’
Trainor said while she only met patients for a few minutes before their operations, they were full of gratitude.
‘‘The poverty is incredible – it opens your mind up to the fact people do live differently. It’s quite unsettling – you realise how much you take for granted.’’
Her biggest surprise was how well equipped the ship was.
‘‘The facilities were much better than I thought they were going to be. I would have an operation here. I think they are pretty lucky – they get a lot of stuff donated – I was really impressed.’’
While on board, Trainor’s role was to assist the anaesthetist who puts people to sleep and manages pain.
‘‘[I was] checking the anaesthetic machine in the morning, preparing drugs for each case, running fluids through, and assisting with anaesthesia before and after the operation.’’
Trainor visited during February, and hopes to go back for another tour aboard the Africa Mercy.
Kiwis can support Mercy Ships by volunteering in medical and non-medical roles, or donating, she said.