A marine hospital belonging to the charity Mercy Ships has docked in Cape Town at the V&A Waterfront to refuel, stock up on supplies and recruit volunteers before it sets sail for its new service mission in Madagascar.
"We are hoping to take on as many volunteers as we can get while we are in Cape Town.
"We currently have 25 South Africans on board," said John Rae, national director of Mercy Ships Southern Africa.
The ship sails to underdeveloped countries where qualified volunteers remove tumours and perform orthopaedic and reconstructive surgeries on children with cleft lips and palates.
The ship is equipped with five state-of-the-art operating rooms.
It also has a supermarket, a post office, a bank and even a school for the staff's children.
Since 1978 the charity has helped to treat more than 2.35 million people all over the world free of charge.
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