Fleet Of Mercy Ships Helping People In Need (NAPSA)—Aformer ferry boat is to be converted into a floating hospital with 80 beds, several operating rooms, and four hospital wards. When the conversion work is completed, the Africa Mercy will go to sea as the largest private hospital ship in the world, with an expected 450-man crew that will help people in need in Africa. The Africa Mercy is one of four hospital ships of the Christian welfare organization, Mercy Ships, founded in 1978. The organization operates on an internationalscale, with its headquarters in Texas and offices in several European countries. A specialty of this organization is that all of those involved— from the ship’s crew and nursing staff all the way up to the managing director—are volunteers. Supporting the international work of Mercy Ships is Leica Microsystems, a worldwide manufacturer of microscopes and scientific instruments. The company has made a donation of four microscopes for the medical laboratories on board the four hospital ships. Three Leica DM LED microscopes have been presented in a recent ceremony on board the Africa DOING WELLBY DOING GOOD —Four portable battery-operated microscopes donated to hospital ships makeit easier to do scientific work in thefield. Mercy. The fourth microscope was just presented on board the MS Anastis in Bremen. The Leica DM LED microscope uniquely runs on batteries, making it ideal for use in mobile hospital situations. “Tt has been difficult for us to do blood work in the field,” says Ken Hicks, Medical Procurement Officer and Field Service Engineer of Mercy Ships. “But with these new portable battery-operated microscopes we will be able to help a lot more people than we have in the past.”
