The Mercy Ships
screening day was held at the People's Palace in Conakry this past Monday, 3rd
September 2012. This important event is when we look for potential patients for
our surgical slots throughout the next ten months. Screening day is advertised through
radio, partner NGOs, churches, and other media. It usually attracts many
people, numbering in the thousands. And when there are crowds of people,
security is needed to ensure a calm and orderly situation.
I hadn't attended a
Screening Day since Liberia 2008, and I decided that it was certainly time to
get involved again! I signed up as a security team member and was one of the
drivers for security. I also helped with crowd control - walking the lines and
manning different entry points into the People's Palace. We started the day
before Screening and covered the event's security - in collaboration with our
Ship Security Team (our lovely Gurkhas), the local police and some marines from
the US Embassy - throughout the duration of the Screening. I worked the 15h30
until 22h00 shift on Sunday, and then from 05h30 until 15h00 on Monday. It was
a long two days!
Sunday was a
relatively quiet night, but I had the honour of meeting our first potential
patient, and getting him into the line (in position 1). He had arrived at
around 19h30 and was prepared to spend the night waiting to see a surgeon to be
scheduled for surgery onboard. He spoke very good English, and I talked to him
as we walked from my position at the back of the venue, to the front of the
line. It was quite exciting to look at his facial tumour and be pretty certain
(from what I've seen of facial tumours over the last five years) that he would
be one of those scheduled to receive a life-changing surgery. Of course, not
being a medical person, I did not tell him this, but I was still pretty excited
for him. By the time our shift pulled back to the ship, there were around
fifteen people in line.
After a few hours of
sleep, we headed back to the People's Palace where our team relieved the night
shift. Candace also went early to the venue, as she was the Team Leader for the
Max-Fax/Plastic's Physical station inside. My role on Monday was primarily
crowd management, and we encountered much desperation as people tried to crowd
their way to the front of the queue - especially outside the gate on the road.
But despite having to tell people to move or to stop pushing, I was struck that
all of this apparent desperation is fueled by genuine need and poverty - and
also a very real hope. A hope that finally they will find acceptance and love
and lasting healing. I saw many people with facial tumours, cleft lips, burn
contractures, the flesh-eating disease Noma, and many others. I saw not only
desperation, but also the hope in their faces. And it made my heart swell, for
this is why we are here.
I left the site at
around 15h00 after a long day, but others - including Candace - only returned
to the ship at 20h30 that night or later. By the time the last Mercy Ships Land
Rover drove off, some 3,500 people had gone through the screening process.
Praise God and thanks to all involved in the process, including patients
themselves, that it was a calm, orderly day and was filled with God's love and
healing. My prayer is that all those who were there - not only those who
received prized patient cards - will receive spiritual healing through God's
love shown at Screening and throughout the next ten months here in Guinea. To
God be the glory.
All photos here were taken by Debra Bell and Michelle Murrey, the official Mercy Ships photographers at the event. Here are some more photos thanks to our Communications team:
The line outside the screening venue - it went almost 1 km along that road! I was based out here for much of the morning, wearing a bright yellow vest.
The children were kept entertained with games and chalk drawing.
Joy is in the eyes of this young girl...
And in the demeanour of this old man.
Patient history is taken inside the building.
Our doctors examine potential patients...
And nurses take blood pressure and pulse rates.
Very small, under-nourished cleft-lip baby.
Children, no matter where they're from, are always huge fans of bubbles!
