Access to health care is limited and for many non-existent – except when the Africa Mercy ship comes to shore.
The ship is the largest floating private hospital in the world, providing surgery free of charge.
The floating hospital is equipped with four operating theatres and has 450 medical volunteers.
Nerida Butcher is one of 12 Australian doctors on the ship and says many people suffer and sometimes die from curable or treatable causes.
“There are people with horrific burns contractures; we’ve had people with tumours that were like, taking up half their face. Yeah, it was really full on.” Miss Butcher says.
The Africa Mercy docked for one year, and close to three thousand surgeries were performed.
But many more are turned away.
Miss Butcher says she still finds that one of the hardest parts.
“But, you’re not there to be amazing and yeah, you’re just there to do your job.”
For decades, Guinea has been led by corrupt governments and warring factions.
It’s been more than 10 years since the country was stable enough for the ship to dock.
“Getting around within Guinea, it was very difficult to know who to ask permission from. There was the odd occasion we nearly got arrested,” The Surgery Ship producer, Madeline Heatherton, says.
Mrs Heatherton met one of the ships volunteers when her own child was having health problems.
“The idea that there would be other parents in another part of the world, that would be with sick children who were unable to get any care for them really moved me.” Mrs Heatherton says.
She wants audiences to get a glimpse into a nation that’s home to some of the world’s most resilient and more fragile.
