Montreal pediatric surgeon offers free care aboard the Global Mercy ship
In one day, Montreal pediatric surgeon Dr. Sherif Emil can operate on the head, neck, abdomen and chest in patients that range from infants to adolescents.
He’s moved his work from the Montreal Children’s Hospital to West Africa, aboard the Global Mercy ship – a hospital at sea.
“The thing about operating in Africa is even the common things like umbilical hernias, which are common in children everywhere, they go untreated here for a very long time,” the surgeon said.
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Citynews first spoke to Dr. Emil in February, when he was preparing to volunteer. Now he’s giving us an inside look at what it’s like to provide free surgery and medical training to developing nations off land.
“I’ve done a number of very different operations while here. […] It’s like an array of different pathologies for children,” he told CityNews.
Having routinely spent time in Africa, Dr. Emil was approached by the chair of the board of directors of Mercy Ships Canada. The Montreal Children’s surgeon has embraced on-and-off life afloat ever since.
“It’s a very unique community, but everybody here is here because they really want to be 100% volunteers. […] You don’t have to be a nurse, or a physician, or a healthcare professional. It’s a community. There are 500 crew on this ship right now […] cooks and mechanics and police officers and all,” he explained.
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Dr. Emil encourages those from all walks of life to show their support and consider volunteering their time as well.
“Every single person has a role in making this work. […] It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, without you, it can’t happen. And of course, you can support the organization financially.”
The Global Mercy ship boasts an international crew, says Dr. Emil, including volunteers from Canada, the United States, Sierra Leone, the Netherlands and more. As his current trip with Mercy Ships nears a close, he is eager to continue his work.
“I’m going to Togo […] because there’s a child with a very large congenital tumor and nobody there to operate on them,” the surgeon told CityNews, as he hopes to bring another child some relief.
