A Consultant Paediatric Surgeon from Roundhay, Leeds, is using her surgical expertise to help people who can’t access safe surgery by volunteering with Mercy Ships – a global charity that brings life-changing surgery to patients across sub-Saharan Africa.

Emma Sidebotham, who worked in the NHS for over 30 years, including 13 years as a Consultant Paediatric Surgeon at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, stepped down from her NHS role in early 2024. Now, she is focusing her career on international development and global health, combining hands-on surgical volunteering with academic study and global advocacy.

The work of Mercy Ships and its volunteers was showcased at the AfPP Annual National Conference on 8-9 August at the University of Warwick, where Mercy Ships had a free exhibition stand to raise awareness and recruit new volunteers.

As part of its commitment to championing global health and charitable initiatives, AfPP is highlighting a different cause each month throughout the year, and for August, the spotlight is on Mercy Ships and their mission to deliver life-changing surgery to underserved communities in Africa.

This story marks World Humanitarian Day on Tuesday 19 August, recognising people who dedicate their lives to helping others in humanitarian settings.

AfPP met with Emma to find out more about her experiences, the challenges of global surgical care, and why she believes the work of Mercy Ships is so vital.

A crisis of access: five billion without safe surgery

Globally, an estimated five billion people lack access to safe, affordable, and timely surgical care. In many African countries, healthcare infrastructure is minimal or non-existent, and trained medical personnel are scarce.

Recognising that 44% of the world’s population lives within 100 miles of a coast, Mercy Ships operates modern hospital ships to bring volunteer medical professionals directly to those who need help most.

Since 1978, Mercy Ships has helped more than two million people to transform their lives. Today, two hospital ships are in service:

• The Africa Mercy, which includes five operating rooms and houses around 400 volunteer crew from up to 40 nations.
• The Global Mercy – the largest charity-run hospital ship in the world – with six operating rooms, space for over 600 volunteers, and a 682-seat auditorium, academy, café, and library.

A surgeon’s calling beyond borders

Emma first heard about Mercy Ships during a conference presentation and felt immediately drawn to their mission. Since then, she has completed four volunteer placements, most recently in May 2025, serving in Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Madagascar. She is hoping to do a further placement later this year.

“The disparities in access to surgery are stark,” says Emma. “Even simple procedures like hernia repairs become complex when left untreated for years.”

Her day on board typically begins with a theatre briefing at 8am, followed by surgery and ward rounds. Some days, especially those involving complex cases, start as early as 6.30am and finish well into the evening.

Volunteers even act as blood donors, ready to give on-the-spot should a patient urgently need a transfusion during surgery.

More than surgery: social stigma, hidden illnesses, and hope

Emma’s work has involved treating children with conditions that carry a deep social stigma.

“In Madagascar, children with lumps or deformities are thought to be cursed. Some are hidden away for years. With one operation, their lives, and their futures, change.”

She recalls removing neck and underarm lumps from children who had been ostracised by their communities. “Some of these children might not have survived. Others are now back in their communities, smiling, playing, and accepted.”

Building local skills and sustainable healthcare

Emma’s contributions go beyond the operating theatre. A vital part of the Mercy Ships’ mission is training local healthcare providers, a passion she shares.

“I’ve helped train surgeons and operating theatre staff, taught the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist, and demonstrated how to perform key procedures. A few years ago, on returning to Guinea, the Mercy Ships team was thrilled to find a local surgeon they’d trained, Dr Karamba, had since trained many more surgeons across the country to perform cleft lip and palate repairs independently. That’s the long-term legacy we want to leave.”

To deepen her understanding of global development challenges, Emma completed a Master’s Degree in Peace, Conflict and Development at the University of Bradford, graduating this year. The programme broadened her perspective on what works, and what doesn’t, in global health interventions.

Emma said: “We have to stop focussing on what can be counted and instead ask what really makes a difference. Equipment is useless without training, maintenance, clean water, or electricity. The social determinants of health, like poverty, infrastructure, and education, matter just as much as surgical skill.”

A global crew, a shared mission

One of the most powerful parts of volunteering, Emma says, is the sense of unity among the ship’s international crew.

“There can be up to 300 people onboard, surgeons, nurses, cooks, teachers, electricians, cleaners; everyone is there for the same reason. It’s an incredible team atmosphere. We’re all just focussed on getting the job done and doing right by the patients.”

Emma adds: “The volunteering is very safe and well supported compared to many ways of giving time in another country. Mercy Ships takes very good care of its volunteers as soon as they arrive in the country until they leave.”

Emma has also volunteered with other global health organisations, including Hernia International in Liberia, and delivered training courses in Zambia and Ghana. Her long-term goal is to build a career in international development, contributing not just as a surgeon but as a thoughtful advocate for systemic change.

Emma’s experiences serving in African countries with Mercy Ships and other organisations have inspired her to pursue a full-time career in global healthcare in future.

However, the majority of Mercy Ships medical volunteers are taking time away from their busy jobs at home to gain a different experience in Africa.

Volunteers urgently needed

Jon Munt, Lead Recruiter for Mercy Ships UK, says there’s a growing demand for more volunteers on the hospital ships.

“We’re in need of Operating Department Practitioners and theatre nurses. Volunteers can serve from as little as two weeks, and many NHS trusts support this as part of professional development rather than annual leave.”

He adds: “It’s a life-changing experience, not just for the patients, but for the volunteers themselves.”

Emma wholeheartedly agrees with Jon. She believes the work of Mercy Ships is truly invaluable, not only because of the life-changing procedures delivered, but because the people they help simply couldn’t get surgery without it.

“Mercy Ships tackles chronic, long-standing healthcare issues, while also leaving a meaningful legacy through health education and surgical training,” says Emma.

“Some of the children we treated would not have survived without the care they received on board. Mercy Ships doesn’t just change lives, it saves them.”

You can learn more about the work of Mercy Ships here: mercyships.org.uk

Picture shows Emma (third from right) with a Mercy Ships theatre team.