Devon carpenter docks in Ghana on world’s largest charity hospital ship

Retired carpenter and occupational therapist, Will Ballantyne from North Molton, docked in Ghana on Monday 17th August, on board the world’s largest hospital ship, the Global Mercy, run by Christian healthcare charity Mercy Ships. 

The ship was welcomed by the Ghanaian government for its first 10-month healthcare service in the country, where it will provide free life-transforming surgery and invest in local surgical training. 

Will, together with his wife, Sue – who works as a dining room assistant to help feed more than 1,500 volunteers, patients, and crew members daily – will be living and serving on board the Global Mercy until December.

The volunteer crew of over 600 expect to complete more than 2,500 free surgeries, over 2,000 free dental procedures and provide placements on board the ship for post-graduates of Ghana’s College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives.

At 74 metres long and weighing 37,000 GT, the ship features six operating theatres, a hospital deck with 200 beds, a laboratory, and various clinics, including general outpatient, eye, and dental clinics. The Global Mercy also has first-class training facilities for local medical professionals and will be home to 74 UK volunteer crew members during this healthcare service. 

“When I started as a carpenter, I never imagined working on a hospital ship. It’s a dream come true,” says Will. “In my role I work all over the ship, in the hospital, on the bridge, in the galley, in cabins. The work we do on the ship is essential because we support patients and crew in the general running of the ship.” 

Designing shoes to help children walk again

One of Will’s most distinctive jobs on board the Global Mercy involves designing and building shoe lifts for orthopaedic patients with post-operative leg length discrepancy. 

“When you see a child walking with a pair of shoes you’ve adapted, and helping them in their rehab process, then it’s really pleasing to see that,” explains Will. “You feel as though you’ve really contributed to the healing process.” 

In 2025 the Global Mercy was docked in Freetown, Sierra Leone where 46 children with bowed or windswept legs, clubfoot, or quadricep contractures received free paediatric orthopaedic surgery, followed by intensive rehabilitation. This free life-transforming surgery is relatively simple yet unavailable or unaffordable in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. 

In the UK there are around 200 specialist paediatric orthopaedic surgeons and almost 7,000 orthopaedic surgeons, but in sub-Saharan Africa there are only a handful, with limited surgical resources. The reality for many patients is that even if they could find a surgeon able to do the work, they would be unable to afford the treatment.

Rachel Buckingham, a Consultant Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Oxford University Hospitals Trust, uses her annual leave to volunteer with Mercy Ships: 

The children we treat on Mercy Ships have very severe leg deformities. If the legs are not symmetrical, then we often find that the most severely affected one is not only more bent, but is also shorter. In this situation, we can straighten the legs but the patient can be left with a leg length discrepancy. 

Surgically, we try to improve the leg length discrepancies by reducing the growth of the longer leg (by taking out a growth plate), but it’s often not enough, so we rely on shoe raises.

This is when Will steps in to help. The children are provided with a new pair of shoes, which they find really exciting, and then Will skillfully builds a raise on one shoe so that the child can walk much more symmetrically. So many team members are involved to get these children’s legs straight, get them healed, rehabilitated, and then these wonderfully adapted shoes are the final step in the process.

The surgical need in Ghana

The surgical need in Ghana is significant. There are numerous barriers to accessing quality surgical care, including a lack of access to operating room essentials, especially in rural areas.  

Ghana has a national health insurance but the coverage is limited and Ghanaian patients cover up to 91 percent of their own direct medical costs out of pocket, making the cost of surgery for many families simply impossible.  

The government of Ghana has been working to address the gap in its country’s surgical system, but believes that priorities can be achieved more efficiently and at a higher quality when partnerships are embraced.

In 2024, Ghana developed its National Surgical, Obstetric, and Anaesthesia Plan (NSOAP).

“It ensures that essential surgical, obstetric, and anaesthesia services are incorporated into Ghana’s universal health coverage strategy,” says Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Ghana’s Minister of Health. “This is an important step toward reducing maternal and child mortality, effectively managing trauma cases, and strengthening emergency and critical care services throughout the country.” 

Mercy Ships is now in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and national stakeholders, helping to support its implementation.

To discover how your skills can be used on Mercy Ships, visit mercyships.org.uk