How to Turn a Ship into a Hospital

The AFM at dock

Over the past month & a half, our ship has been just a ship.  We’ve sailed around from one country to the next.  We know we are a hospital, but it didn’t look like it for quite awhile.  Once we arrived in Togo, we began the long process of turning this ship into the world’s largest NGO floating hospital.  

Going from this....

To this

How do you do that you ask?  A lot of hard work. 

We had to strip & wax all the floors in the ORs, check all the equipment, restock supplies, clean & clean & clean.  Who would have thought that a ship at sea could get so dirty!  Each week, we would get more & more help as nurses would arrive, which made things easier- many hands make light work.  We met & greeted our day workers, local people who have been hired to help us communicate with our patients & help with keeping the hospital running.  One morning, we had a practice hospital evacuation drill, where we practiced what we would do if we had to abandon ship with all the patients, some on the wards, some in PACU & some still in surgery.

Resterilizing all the instruments

Evacuated patients on the dock

Meeting our day workers

The last thing we do is bleach everything down, making it completely ready for patients.  Before that though, we were open for tours & activities.  One evening we invited our partners in Togo to come visit the ship, giving them tours of the hospital.  The next night, we opened up to the crew to come down & see the side of the ship that many won’t get to see unless they work in the hospital.  We had games & activities like- “be a nurse for a day”, a suturing station, an intubation station, bed pan toss & dress up like a surgeon.  It was a big hit. 

Welcome to our OR

Visitors learn how to intubate

Become a surgeon

Learn how to suture

The next day, we went sterile.  We’ve spent 2 days completely bleaching the ORs from top to bottom, twice.  We now look like a hospital.  The wards are set up, PACU is clean & unpacked, the ORs are sterile & ready for surgeries.  Now all we need are patients.  Screening day is coming up & soon the wards will be full.  Can’t wait!

Blessings