October 24, 2023 • 33 mins
Have you ever wondered what life is like on board one of the world's largest civilian hospital ship? Join us as we navigate the unique experiences and insights of our guest, Guido Kortleven, a senior Biomedical Technician with Mercy Ships. Guido shares his life-changing journey with us, illustrating the power of volunteering and how it has taught him invaluable lessons in humility and gratitude. His vivid descriptions of the diverse crew and volunteers on board the ship offers a celebration of diversity and human strength like no other.
As we sail through the conversation, Guido anchors a deep understanding of his role at Mercy Ships and highlights the ripple effect of training healthcare providers in underserved areas. He navigates us through the complex seas of supply chains, emphasizing the importance of planning ahead and the challenges that come with it. From his perspective, we understand the vital role that collaboration and mutual understanding play when you're working with volunteers from different nationalities, all united by a common purpose.
As we dock at the end of our discussion, Guido underlines the significance of responsible donations and how individuals and organizations can throw their anchor to support the mission of Mercy Ships. He outlines the qualities and skills that make a good volunteer and shares his hopes for the future of Mercy Ships. Listen closely as he recounts the life-changing impact of medical treatments on patients' lives and the importance of humanitarian work. Guido's powerful testimony of his volunteer work is bound to leave you with a renewed perspective on healthcare, volunteering, and the power of unity.
This podcast is sponsored by The College of Biomedical Equipment Technology. You can find out more information about this outstanding institution at CBET.EDU.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to HTM on the Line, the podcast that is for
HTM by HTM.
I'm your host, bryant HawkinsSr.
I have to tell you today'sepisode is truly inspiring.
Today we're setting sail on anincredible journey.
(00:22):
Have you ever wondered whatit's like to work in health care
on a ship Going to far-distantcorners of the world to help
those in need?
In this episode, we introduceyou to a remarkable individual,
gido Cortlaven, a senior B-manwith Mercy ships.
(00:46):
Gido isn't just a health careworker.
He's a beacon of hope and asymbol of unwavering faith.
He's using his skills to changelives in ways you couldn't
imagine.
Volunteering is often perceivedas a one-way street, a selfless
act of giving, but Gidochallenges that notion.
(01:09):
In his heartfelt recount oflife-changing medical procedures
he's witnessed, he illustrateshow he's also been on the
receiving end of profoundlessons in humility and
gratitude.
It takes meticulous planningfor spare parts, supplies and
(01:30):
fostering harmonious workenvironment with a diverse team
of volunteers and crew members.
Gido shares the challenges andthe rewards of this unique
journey, and you'll be amazed byhis unwavering dedication to
making the world a better place.
(01:50):
That's not all.
Gido will take us on a voyagethrough the fascinating cultural
exchange that takes place inthis floating haven of healing.
It's a testament to the powerof unity, the celebration of
diversity and the strength ofthe human spirit.
So, whether you're a healthcareprofessional and aspiring
(02:15):
volunteer, or simply someoneseeking inspiration and hope,
you're in for a captivating andenlightening journey.
Join us as we dive deep intoGido Court-Leven's story and
discover the profound impact ofhealthcare on the high seas.
Gido Court-Leven, man, it's sogreat to have you on HTM on the
(02:40):
line.
How are you doing today?
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Thank you very much for having me, Brian.
It's good to be here today.
I'm doing very well.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Wow.
So what does our time look like?
What time is it where you're atright now?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
It's 3 pm this afternoon here in the
Netherlands.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Okay, we are eight o'clock over here in central
time in the US, so we got a nicebit of time between us.
We're going to make this work.
Let me ask you this onequestion to get started first.
Can you start off byintroducing yourself and sharing
a bit about your background andhow you became involved with
Mercy Ship as a volunteer?
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Thank you Well, I'm Gido.
I'm from the Netherlands, I'mat the moment, 34 years old,
married and have a family withfour boys, and I worked since
2019 for Mercy Ships as avolunteer senior biomedical
(03:43):
technician.
I worked for 10 years in thehealthcare technology management
field in the Netherlands, herein the Dutch hospital.
First is a biomedicaltechnician and the last eight
years as a manager of abiomedical team support team in
(04:07):
the hospital.
It was a medium-sized hospital390 beds and seven wash you know
, perfect size for me and 2018 Iworked for a little bit for an
IT company that was specializedin critical no-transcript and I
(04:32):
was responsible for implementingthe message broker, iq
messenger, and that is asoftware product that connects
medical devices like infusionpumps, vital signs monitors and
such equipment to existingcommunication systems pages,
(04:53):
phones, you know all that kindof stuff and I was halfway well,
I was five, six months in andworships contacted me again, I
have to say, and asked if I wasavailable for the senior
biomedical position.
So I left my job after a fewmonths and that's why I ended up
(05:16):
in July 2019 on board of theAfrica Mercy.
At that moment, it was theworld's largest civilian
hospital ship, but soon later,in 2020,.
We got the global mercydelivered, taking over the title
(05:36):
, and I got involved with thatas well.
That is the newest custom build, most hospital ship of mercy
ships.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
You said you joined the mercy ship in 2019.
Now, mercy ship is known forproviding the central medical
care to a lot of undeservedcommunities.
What motivated you to volunteeryour time to this cause?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
My motivation comes from the example of Jesus and he
said treat others like you wantto be treated.
And I worked, you know, andlived in the Netherlands, and we
have a very high level ofhealthcare system in the
Netherlands, you know, one ofthe best in the world in terms
(06:21):
of availability, quality and youknow, and I benefited from that
.
You know, whenever I neededsomething, I could go to the
doctor without any compromiseand knowing that there are 5
billion people in this world whodon't have access to such care
(06:43):
or no healthcare at all, youknow.
That made me think what can Ido about it with my talents that
God gave me?
And when I discovered mercyships or well, you know, learn
more about mercy ships really indetail in 2017 and I heard
about the biomedical position onboard I really saw a fit there
(07:07):
where I could help with mytalents, my specialty, my
experience, my background inthis mission.
It's always good to mine tokeep.
You know, keep in mind.
Treat others like you want tobe treated, because it's also a
very good value how you do yourwork with integrity and, yeah,
(07:29):
the quality.
You want to see if thisequipment would be used for you.
You know how do you want theequipment to perform.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Ghetto.
Could you describe some of thespecific roles and
responsibilities you have had asa Mercy ship volunteer, htm
professional?
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Well, since 2019, I've been serving as senior
biomedical technician all thetime in the same you know role.
The senior biomedicaltechnician on board of the ship
oversees the whole maintenancepackage for the hospital and
also gives guidance to thebiomedical team, and that's two
(08:12):
till three biomedicaltechnicians at the time.
So it's a small team and wehave to take care for all the
equipment.
On board of the Africa Mercy,we had around 1200 pieces of
equipment.
Now on the global mercy, whichis slightly bigger, we have 1500
pieces of equipment and we haveto take care for the equipment
(08:36):
as soon as it arrives on board.
So you know it's commissioningof the equipment, but also
preventive maintenance andsupport, you know, when there
are problems, helping the users.
Some training, if you know, asfar as possible.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
How is your experience with Mercy Ships
affected your perspective on,let's say, against global health
care, poverty and the access tomedical services in these
undeserved areas?
How has this experienceaffected your view on that?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Well, massively Serving with a background in an
almost non-limited resourceenvironment.
Money is also limited in theNetherlands, but there is so
much money available for thehealthcare.
(09:36):
With that background going tolimited resource settings, it
changed my perspective a lot.
I think one of the mostimportant lessons I've learned
is that knowledge is key.
You can have a lot of resources, but if you don't know how to
(09:56):
put them into use, it's stilluseless.
It's very important that youhave a good education system.
That's also why I like themission of Mercy Ships so well,
because we deliver directmedical care, we treat patients,
but on the other side we alsotrain local healthcare providers
(10:18):
.
With that, you make an evenbigger change.
This is the ripple effect.
You train people, but over theyears they will increase the
skills and serve their ownhealthcare system.
Helping patients is great andwe have a great environment for
(10:38):
that on board, very high-tech,high-quality hospital.
But on the other side also weuse it as a reference to show to
other people what they couldwork towards too.
Serve as a reference that howyou do certain things.
(10:59):
Then with the whole system,everything is working.
What I've heard from localbiomedical technicians, for
example one of the biggestchallenges is the supply chain
getting spare parts in.
We have that challenge on boardas well, because we have quite
a long supply chain, but we havestill access to our warehouses
(11:19):
in Texas and in Rotterdam.
But we also have to think threemonths ahead.
That's how long it usuallytakes to get a container shipped
to the ships in Africa.
We have already a supply chainsystem for spare parts, for
example, and a stock system inplace that can serve as a
(11:40):
reference as well.
In certain way, we deal withthe same challenges.
The only difference is that wehave more resources available.
One of the other things is, aswell, what I've learned from
serving In the Netherlands.
You can ask yourself thequestion when is it enough?
Well, it's very hard to behappy, because there's always
(12:01):
more that you want and what Ihave seen in limited resource
settings in, well, the countriesin Africa that we have been
serving, it's important torealize that our well-being is
not directly related to money.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
You train technicians when you go to these countries.
What type of training do youprovide to biome technicians?
Speaker 2 (12:28):
My colleague Emmanuel Essa is the project manager for
that and we have an externalcompany providing the training
for us.
But then we provide a basicbiomed course for eight weeks
training how to use testequipment, because worships also
donate test equipmentelectrical safety testers and
(12:51):
patient simulators, somespecialized test equipment.
So they get also training howto use that, because most of the
time the countries we servethis equipment is not available
at all.
So the technicians know fromtheir study that it exists and
(13:12):
how to use it.
But using it in a practicalsetting and how do you apply
that is quite different.
So during that eight weekcourse they also get familiar
with the test equipment and howto use it to provide safe
surgical care.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
at the end how do you collaborate with your fellow
volunteers and the ship crew, tothat matter?
How do you guys make theteamwork play successful?
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I mean I would love to take youto the ship and have you
working there for a day and youwill understand the ships are
very unique experience.
We work with volunteers frommore than 50 different
nationalities, so that's already, you know, a very mixed
(14:03):
environment and you need to worktogether.
You need to work to collaborateto make it work.
I think one of the keys tosuccess in teamwork on board is
everybody is a volunteer, sopeople want to be there.
It's not a job.
They need to make money, butthey want to serve.
(14:25):
So that shapes the atmosphere onboard.
It gives a whole differentperspective On the other side.
We also realize on boardbecause it's kind of, you know,
a floating village we cannot doit without one of us.
(14:46):
You need a housekeeper to keepit clean and not to spread
around any germs.
You need the surgeon, otherwisewe were not in mission.
You need the captain, otherwiseyou cannot operate the ship
safely.
So there is this sense on boardthat everybody is as important
as the other.
(15:06):
You cannot say, okay, you knowwe do it without you because we
have limited bed space on board.
On board of the global mercy,we have a place for 650
volunteers and every departmentwants more, of course.
So there is this very balancedstaffing plan where everybody on
(15:28):
board is important and needed.
So that helps already to valueeach other and to have a certain
sense of equality.
One is not more important thanthe other, because if you drop
out we need to stop our mission,for example, or find another
(15:51):
one.
So I think that is one of thekeys to success.
You know, being too willing tobe on board, but also realizing
that we are all contributing tothe same mission and equal in
that sense.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Let's see if I can change this up a little bit
without getting you tooemotional.
As a volunteer, you may haveencountered patients with
limited access to medical careor complex cases.
How do you cope with theemotional and mental challenges
that may arise from this work?
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Yeah, how do you cope with it?
I think one of my mostimportant coping mechanisms is,
you know, stay healthy, stay fit.
I try to run three times a weekbecause physical exercise is
also important, you know, todrain your stress level.
Well, the great thing is thatI'm serving together with my
(16:46):
family on board.
So I walk two minutes and I'min my cabin and, you know, have
the family around so, and we arein this together.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Living and working on a hospital ship.
That's pretty unique.
It's almost like working on acruise ship, I guess.
Can you talk about thechallenges and opportunities you
probably have encountered whileserving on this ship?
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Yeah, I mean, the ship's environment is almost
like a small village.
Sometimes you don't realizeeven that you're on board a ship
.
I think one of the challengesis the opposite of what I just
described, because of you knowthat small distance between work
and personal space.
It's also difficult to maintaina separation between work and,
(17:35):
you know, personal life.
I think it's healthy to havecertain separation between those
two Work-wise.
I think you know the challenges.
What's the opportunities that wehave with serving on board of a
ship is we can bring thisplatform from country to country
.
We are serving usually 10months in a row in one port and
(18:01):
you take that ship the next yearto another port and you still
have the same platform, you havethe same hospital, but when you
look out of your window youhave a different view.
You're in a different countryand you get other people on
board.
We work always with local daycrew.
They serve as translators orthey work in housekeeping or in
(18:25):
the galley, the ship's kitchen,or in the engine room.
So you also get the localculture on board, which is great
, unique.
If you would build a hospitalashore, you are not able to seal
to another country.
(18:46):
You have to stay there and youwork always with the same people
.
In this way, you get to learndifferent cultures, different
African cultures, get to workwith different people every year
, and that's one of the greatthings.
Serving with so many peoplefrom around the world, you can
learn so much from each other.
Every culture brings somethingto your personal life that you
(19:11):
can learn from In terms of, youknow, working on a ship.
One of the challenges sometimesis the ship is moving.
The ship needs to be leveled,otherwise, you know the OR
lights might be drifting away.
So we need to maintain a closecommunication to the chief
engineer who is responsible forthe stability of the ship.
Sometimes, when they'rebunkering, you know taking a new
(19:33):
fuel, the stability of the shipthat's.
You know the OR lights aredrifting away and you dig a
little deeper and you find outthat they're bunkering, for
example, and that's why the shipis listing.
You know there's little thingsthat are connected to living and
working on board of a ship.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Being that you've been on various countries and
regions, how has your experienceworking with different cultures
and, I guess we could say,healthcare systems, influence
your perspective on globalhealth?
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Yeah, I've been a few times a shore in hospitals and
I have to say that I have a lotof respect for the people
working there.
You know in those challengingcircumstances what they are able
to achieve.
Yeah, they have my respect.
In the Western world we need tobe more careful with donations.
(20:31):
I don't know if you're aware,but the WHO came out with a
report some years ago and thatstated that about 80% to 90% of
all the equipment in developingcountries is donated but only
10% to 30% is working and weeasily say, oh yeah, that's
(20:57):
because of lack of knowledge.
But quite often there are otherthings involved.
You know, we donate our oldequipment, we get rid of it, so
it's not our problem anymore andwe think, oh, that's useful,
gives us a good feeling.
But on the other side, where itis already difficult to get
spare parts, for example, andrepair equipment, or sometimes
(21:20):
there is also the lack ofknowledge or experience to
repair equipment or no access toservice manuals, for example,
and that makes why so muchequipment that has been donated
is not in use.
So it opened my eyes.
You know that we need to bemore careful in the Western
(21:41):
world with donations.
If you donate your old car andgive it to your younger brother,
for example.
You know, when you know it is abad car and it's using a lot of
oil, you probably think twicebefore you donate it to your
(22:02):
smaller brother or you tell himwhat's wrong with it.
But that's quite often not thecase.
When we donate something, wethink oh yeah, I don't use it
anymore.
this is all the equipment.
Yeah, let's look for a goodpurpose, but it would be better
if we first repair and make surethat all the documentation
that's needed to operate theequipment safe you know, service
(22:26):
manual, user manual.
If we make sure that that isavailable, then donate it, or
even consider donating newequipment.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
I think that's one of the major eye-opening for me in
the past few years as well, andsince we're talking about
donations, mercyship, as we know, relies heavily on volunteers
and, no doubt, donations.
Also, how can individuals andorganizations support the
(22:55):
mission of Mercyship in terms offunding and volunteer
opportunities?
I know you mentioned aboutdonating equipment, but how can
they help out in terms offunding and, say, volunteer
opportunities?
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Yeah, well, there are different ways to help.
If I look to companies, forexample, some companies can
contribute, even with equipment.
We partner already with somecompanies that donate or give
equipment with a big discount.
Of course, financial aid isalso, the donations are also
(23:32):
possible, and I think humancapital is very valuable.
You know the whole world islooking for engineers, I believe
, at the moment.
So look to the volunteer part.
What companies or hospitals ororganizations can do as well is
release your people for sometime so they can volunteer on
(23:54):
board.
It might be difficult to freeup somebody's time, but I'm 100%
sure that they come back withso much more dedication to the
work, also because they haveseen how it can be so different
in another country that youcount your blessings.
For the long term.
(24:14):
It would be good also if youallow your people to volunteer.
And if you're listening to thispodcast and you're interested
yourself in volunteering, Iwould say have a look at
opportunitiesmurceshipsorg andyou can see which possibilities
there are.
So we had project assistantsand those were people that
(24:38):
volunteered for short termcommitments like four weeks.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
I know you probably made making Kimberly Ames real
proud, mentioning all theopportunities, what I will
definitely put in the commentlink all the information you
just mentioned so they can clickon the links and see what the
mercieship has to offer Now.
Thank you so much.
What skills or qualities do youbelieve are essential for
(25:03):
someone Considering volunteeringwith mercieships, especially in
a health care capacity?
Speaker 2 (25:10):
What is necessary for mercieships?
Also what is necessary for anormal hospital, I would say,
because I believe the qualitiesof a good biomedical technician
is that they are eager, curious,never think.
When they have an answer,always think twice.
(25:32):
Is this really the answer or dowe need to dig deeper?
Look at another source.
What probably is a quality thatyou need to have on board is
that you need to be able to beworking independently more than
in a normal hospital because theteams are so small.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Looking to the future , what are your hopes and
aspirations for the continuedwork of Mercy Ships?
Speaker 2 (26:03):
My big hope at the moment is that we are able to
work side by side with localbiomedical technicians.
We have already onboard thementoring program and they do
that with some nurses andsurgeons.
They invite local surgeons towork onboard side by side with
(26:24):
our own surgeons, for example,or nurses, and I would like to
see that to happen as well forbiomedical technicians.
I think on one side itcontributes to their experience
because they see a total workinghospital.
(26:45):
They see all processes and cantake out of our situation what
might work in their situation.
You can teach a lot, you know,go there and teach and offer a
course, but then you're tellingthem what to do.
But if you show by example whatyou are doing and show a
(27:07):
working example, that allowslocal healthcare providers and
biomedical technicians in thiscase to take out of those
examples what might work intheir situation with probably
more limited resources.
But if they have seen the wholesystem working, then they can
take whatever they think isuseful in their environment.
(27:30):
So what I'm really lookingforward to is to have a kind of
mentoring program and have localbiomedical technicians, for two
or three months probably at atime, working alongside with us
and on board of the global mercy.
We have the space to do that.
Our workshop is quite big, soI'm really looking forward to
(27:52):
you know, start that program.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Gido, can you share any personal lessons or insights
you've gained from your time asa Mercy Ships volunteer that
have a lasting impact on yourlife and career?
Speaker 2 (28:10):
But when I look back now after four years I think,
wow, I've learned so much.
You know from other peoplearound me colorfulness of this
world.
That's amazing.
You know that you are just alittle part in this whole.
You know well in Mercy Ships,in this organization, but also
(28:34):
in life.
You know you're just playingyour little part.
You need to value the othersaround you because you can learn
so much from others.
I would have never experiencedthis if I was living in the
Netherlands for the rest of mylife and didn't step out.
You know that mind shift thatopens my eyes from okay, you are
(28:57):
here to help to watch, you know, change my attitude to okay, I
have learned so much from otherskind of humbles you and I think
that's very helpful for therest of your life and career as
well.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
In conclusion and I appreciate you coming on, gido
what message or encouragementwould you like to leave with our
listeners about the importanceof humanitarian work and
volunteering with organizationslike Mercy Ships?
Speaker 2 (29:30):
I hope that I brought this message over, that it
contributes to your own life aswell.
A quote of Dr Gary Parker, whoserves on board as well.
It's a surgeon, he servesalready for more than 34 years
with Mercy Ships and he says youcannot change the whole world,
but you can change the wholeworld for one person at a time
(29:53):
and another and another.
So what we sometimes tend tosay about humanitarian work as
you know, you cannot solve allworld problems, but if you have
this perspective, it is bigenough to take on your own
shoulders, but small enough totake on your own shoulders, but
(30:17):
big enough to leave a lastinglegacy in this world.
Yeah, it adds so much to yourown life.
Even though you are going togive, you get back more than you
would give yourself.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
I know I said that was the last question, but one
just popped in my head by youtalking about the doctor's quote
.
Can you discuss maybe the typesof medical treatments and
surgeries you have witnessed andhow they have transformed the
lives of the patients?
Speaker 2 (30:50):
It was for a surgery going on and I continued my walk
towards the OR and then Ipassed the OR where a big
surgery was going on and theyremoved the tumor of 12 or 13
kilograms or so from the back ofthe patient.
It was massive tumor and Icould not imagine how that
(31:13):
changed the life of that patient.
Just imagine that you have abackpack continuously on your
back with the weight of 13 kilosand you need to do everything
with that your job.
I think the relief for thatpatient was massive.
We have different types ofsurgeries on board.
(31:34):
We focus mainly on the types ofsurgery that picks the problems
that are caused by poverty.
So we do a lot of max-facsurgery maxilliofacial, the
tumors in the mouth, neck.
We have reconstructed plasticson board and you see how
(31:58):
patients, usually with burncontractures, are freed again so
they have functional arms orlegs and they can do the job
again and live normal life.
That changes messes.
I have seen the kids coming inwith their wind-swept legs and
(32:19):
orthopedic surgeons they fix itand they walk out with straight
legs again after a few weeks.
It's massive transformation inthe life of those patients, very
visible for us on board as well.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
I'm still sitting here thinking about the 13
kilogram tumor.
That's what 28 pounds could be.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
I think so that's mind-blowing.
What you guys doing iscommendable and appreciate all
the work you're doing, sir.
You did a great work andanytime you would like to come
back and share more stories,you're more than welcome.
Thank you for your time.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Thank you so much for having me Bryant and sharing a
little bit about the work of thechips.
Yeah not a problem.
Welcome to HTM on the Line, the podcast that is for
HTM by HTM.
I'm your host, bryant HawkinsSr.
I have to tell you today'sepisode is truly inspiring.
Today we're setting sail on anincredible journey.
(00:22):
Have you ever wondered whatit's like to work in health care
on a ship Going to far-distantcorners of the world to help
those in need?
In this episode, we introduceyou to a remarkable individual,
gido Cortlaven, a senior B-manwith Mercy ships.
(00:46):
Gido isn't just a health careworker.
He's a beacon of hope and asymbol of unwavering faith.
He's using his skills to changelives in ways you couldn't
imagine.
Volunteering is often perceivedas a one-way street, a selfless
act of giving, but Gidochallenges that notion.
(01:09):
In his heartfelt recount oflife-changing medical procedures
he's witnessed, he illustrateshow he's also been on the
receiving end of profoundlessons in humility and
gratitude.
It takes meticulous planningfor spare parts, supplies and
(01:30):
fostering harmonious workenvironment with a diverse team
of volunteers and crew members.
Gido shares the challenges andthe rewards of this unique
journey, and you'll be amazed byhis unwavering dedication to
making the world a better place.
(01:50):
That's not all.
Gido will take us on a voyagethrough the fascinating cultural
exchange that takes place inthis floating haven of healing.
It's a testament to the powerof unity, the celebration of
diversity and the strength ofthe human spirit.
So, whether you're a healthcareprofessional and aspiring
(02:15):
volunteer, or simply someoneseeking inspiration and hope,
you're in for a captivating andenlightening journey.
Join us as we dive deep intoGido Court-Leven's story and
discover the profound impact ofhealthcare on the high seas.
Gido Court-Leven, man, it's sogreat to have you on HTM on the
(02:40):
line.
How are you doing today?
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Thank you very much for having me, Brian.
It's good to be here today.
I'm doing very well.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Wow.
So what does our time look like?
What time is it where you're atright now?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
It's 3 pm this afternoon here in the
Netherlands.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Okay, we are eight o'clock over here in central
time in the US, so we got a nicebit of time between us.
We're going to make this work.
Let me ask you this onequestion to get started first.
Can you start off byintroducing yourself and sharing
a bit about your background andhow you became involved with
Mercy Ship as a volunteer?
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Thank you Well, I'm Gido.
I'm from the Netherlands, I'mat the moment, 34 years old,
married and have a family withfour boys, and I worked since
2019 for Mercy Ships as avolunteer senior biomedical
(03:43):
technician.
I worked for 10 years in thehealthcare technology management
field in the Netherlands, herein the Dutch hospital.
First is a biomedicaltechnician and the last eight
years as a manager of abiomedical team support team in
(04:07):
the hospital.
It was a medium-sized hospital390 beds and seven wash you know
, perfect size for me and 2018 Iworked for a little bit for an
IT company that was specializedin critical no-transcript and I
(04:32):
was responsible for implementingthe message broker, iq
messenger, and that is asoftware product that connects
medical devices like infusionpumps, vital signs monitors and
such equipment to existingcommunication systems pages,
(04:53):
phones, you know all that kindof stuff and I was halfway well,
I was five, six months in andworships contacted me again, I
have to say, and asked if I wasavailable for the senior
biomedical position.
So I left my job after a fewmonths and that's why I ended up
(05:16):
in July 2019 on board of theAfrica Mercy.
At that moment, it was theworld's largest civilian
hospital ship, but soon later,in 2020,.
We got the global mercydelivered, taking over the title
(05:36):
, and I got involved with thatas well.
That is the newest custom build, most hospital ship of mercy
ships.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
You said you joined the mercy ship in 2019.
Now, mercy ship is known forproviding the central medical
care to a lot of undeservedcommunities.
What motivated you to volunteeryour time to this cause?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
My motivation comes from the example of Jesus and he
said treat others like you wantto be treated.
And I worked, you know, andlived in the Netherlands, and we
have a very high level ofhealthcare system in the
Netherlands, you know, one ofthe best in the world in terms
(06:21):
of availability, quality and youknow, and I benefited from that
.
You know, whenever I neededsomething, I could go to the
doctor without any compromiseand knowing that there are 5
billion people in this world whodon't have access to such care
(06:43):
or no healthcare at all, youknow.
That made me think what can Ido about it with my talents that
God gave me?
And when I discovered mercyships or well, you know, learn
more about mercy ships really indetail in 2017 and I heard
about the biomedical position onboard I really saw a fit there
(07:07):
where I could help with mytalents, my specialty, my
experience, my background inthis mission.
It's always good to mine tokeep.
You know, keep in mind.
Treat others like you want tobe treated, because it's also a
very good value how you do yourwork with integrity and, yeah,
(07:29):
the quality.
You want to see if thisequipment would be used for you.
You know how do you want theequipment to perform.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Ghetto.
Could you describe some of thespecific roles and
responsibilities you have had asa Mercy ship volunteer, htm
professional?
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Well, since 2019, I've been serving as senior
biomedical technician all thetime in the same you know role.
The senior biomedicaltechnician on board of the ship
oversees the whole maintenancepackage for the hospital and
also gives guidance to thebiomedical team, and that's two
(08:12):
till three biomedicaltechnicians at the time.
So it's a small team and wehave to take care for all the
equipment.
On board of the Africa Mercy,we had around 1200 pieces of
equipment.
Now on the global mercy, whichis slightly bigger, we have 1500
pieces of equipment and we haveto take care for the equipment
(08:36):
as soon as it arrives on board.
So you know it's commissioningof the equipment, but also
preventive maintenance andsupport, you know, when there
are problems, helping the users.
Some training, if you know, asfar as possible.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
How is your experience with Mercy Ships
affected your perspective on,let's say, against global health
care, poverty and the access tomedical services in these
undeserved areas?
How has this experienceaffected your view on that?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Well, massively Serving with a background in an
almost non-limited resourceenvironment.
Money is also limited in theNetherlands, but there is so
much money available for thehealthcare.
(09:36):
With that background going tolimited resource settings, it
changed my perspective a lot.
I think one of the mostimportant lessons I've learned
is that knowledge is key.
You can have a lot of resources, but if you don't know how to
(09:56):
put them into use, it's stilluseless.
It's very important that youhave a good education system.
That's also why I like themission of Mercy Ships so well,
because we deliver directmedical care, we treat patients,
but on the other side we alsotrain local healthcare providers
(10:18):
.
With that, you make an evenbigger change.
This is the ripple effect.
You train people, but over theyears they will increase the
skills and serve their ownhealthcare system.
Helping patients is great andwe have a great environment for
(10:38):
that on board, very high-tech,high-quality hospital.
But on the other side also weuse it as a reference to show to
other people what they couldwork towards too.
Serve as a reference that howyou do certain things.
(10:59):
Then with the whole system,everything is working.
What I've heard from localbiomedical technicians, for
example one of the biggestchallenges is the supply chain
getting spare parts in.
We have that challenge on boardas well, because we have quite
a long supply chain, but we havestill access to our warehouses
(11:19):
in Texas and in Rotterdam.
But we also have to think threemonths ahead.
That's how long it usuallytakes to get a container shipped
to the ships in Africa.
We have already a supply chainsystem for spare parts, for
example, and a stock system inplace that can serve as a
(11:40):
reference as well.
In certain way, we deal withthe same challenges.
The only difference is that wehave more resources available.
One of the other things is, aswell, what I've learned from
serving In the Netherlands.
You can ask yourself thequestion when is it enough?
Well, it's very hard to behappy, because there's always
(12:01):
more that you want and what Ihave seen in limited resource
settings in, well, the countriesin Africa that we have been
serving, it's important torealize that our well-being is
not directly related to money.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
You train technicians when you go to these countries.
What type of training do youprovide to biome technicians?
Speaker 2 (12:28):
My colleague Emmanuel Essa is the project manager for
that and we have an externalcompany providing the training
for us.
But then we provide a basicbiomed course for eight weeks
training how to use testequipment, because worships also
donate test equipmentelectrical safety testers and
(12:51):
patient simulators, somespecialized test equipment.
So they get also training howto use that, because most of the
time the countries we servethis equipment is not available
at all.
So the technicians know fromtheir study that it exists and
(13:12):
how to use it.
But using it in a practicalsetting and how do you apply
that is quite different.
So during that eight weekcourse they also get familiar
with the test equipment and howto use it to provide safe
surgical care.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
at the end how do you collaborate with your fellow
volunteers and the ship crew, tothat matter?
How do you guys make theteamwork play successful?
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I mean I would love to take youto the ship and have you
working there for a day and youwill understand the ships are
very unique experience.
We work with volunteers frommore than 50 different
nationalities, so that's already, you know, a very mixed
(14:03):
environment and you need to worktogether.
You need to work to collaborateto make it work.
I think one of the keys tosuccess in teamwork on board is
everybody is a volunteer, sopeople want to be there.
It's not a job.
They need to make money, butthey want to serve.
(14:25):
So that shapes the atmosphere onboard.
It gives a whole differentperspective On the other side.
We also realize on boardbecause it's kind of, you know,
a floating village we cannot doit without one of us.
(14:46):
You need a housekeeper to keepit clean and not to spread
around any germs.
You need the surgeon, otherwisewe were not in mission.
You need the captain, otherwiseyou cannot operate the ship
safely.
So there is this sense on boardthat everybody is as important
as the other.
(15:06):
You cannot say, okay, you knowwe do it without you because we
have limited bed space on board.
On board of the global mercy,we have a place for 650
volunteers and every departmentwants more, of course.
So there is this very balancedstaffing plan where everybody on
(15:28):
board is important and needed.
So that helps already to valueeach other and to have a certain
sense of equality.
One is not more important thanthe other, because if you drop
out we need to stop our mission,for example, or find another
(15:51):
one.
So I think that is one of thekeys to success.
You know, being too willing tobe on board, but also realizing
that we are all contributing tothe same mission and equal in
that sense.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Let's see if I can change this up a little bit
without getting you tooemotional.
As a volunteer, you may haveencountered patients with
limited access to medical careor complex cases.
How do you cope with theemotional and mental challenges
that may arise from this work?
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Yeah, how do you cope with it?
I think one of my mostimportant coping mechanisms is,
you know, stay healthy, stay fit.
I try to run three times a weekbecause physical exercise is
also important, you know, todrain your stress level.
Well, the great thing is thatI'm serving together with my
(16:46):
family on board.
So I walk two minutes and I'min my cabin and, you know, have
the family around so, and we arein this together.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Living and working on a hospital ship.
That's pretty unique.
It's almost like working on acruise ship, I guess.
Can you talk about thechallenges and opportunities you
probably have encountered whileserving on this ship?
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Yeah, I mean, the ship's environment is almost
like a small village.
Sometimes you don't realizeeven that you're on board a ship
.
I think one of the challengesis the opposite of what I just
described, because of you knowthat small distance between work
and personal space.
It's also difficult to maintaina separation between work and,
(17:35):
you know, personal life.
I think it's healthy to havecertain separation between those
two Work-wise.
I think you know the challenges.
What's the opportunities that wehave with serving on board of a
ship is we can bring thisplatform from country to country
.
We are serving usually 10months in a row in one port and
(18:01):
you take that ship the next yearto another port and you still
have the same platform, you havethe same hospital, but when you
look out of your window youhave a different view.
You're in a different countryand you get other people on
board.
We work always with local daycrew.
They serve as translators orthey work in housekeeping or in
(18:25):
the galley, the ship's kitchen,or in the engine room.
So you also get the localculture on board, which is great
, unique.
If you would build a hospitalashore, you are not able to seal
to another country.
(18:46):
You have to stay there and youwork always with the same people
.
In this way, you get to learndifferent cultures, different
African cultures, get to workwith different people every year
, and that's one of the greatthings.
Serving with so many peoplefrom around the world, you can
learn so much from each other.
Every culture brings somethingto your personal life that you
(19:11):
can learn from In terms of, youknow, working on a ship.
One of the challenges sometimesis the ship is moving.
The ship needs to be leveled,otherwise, you know the OR
lights might be drifting away.
So we need to maintain a closecommunication to the chief
engineer who is responsible forthe stability of the ship.
Sometimes, when they'rebunkering, you know taking a new
(19:33):
fuel, the stability of the shipthat's.
You know the OR lights aredrifting away and you dig a
little deeper and you find outthat they're bunkering, for
example, and that's why the shipis listing.
You know there's little thingsthat are connected to living and
working on board of a ship.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Being that you've been on various countries and
regions, how has your experienceworking with different cultures
and, I guess we could say,healthcare systems, influence
your perspective on globalhealth?
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Yeah, I've been a few times a shore in hospitals and
I have to say that I have a lotof respect for the people
working there.
You know in those challengingcircumstances what they are able
to achieve.
Yeah, they have my respect.
In the Western world we need tobe more careful with donations.
(20:31):
I don't know if you're aware,but the WHO came out with a
report some years ago and thatstated that about 80% to 90% of
all the equipment in developingcountries is donated but only
10% to 30% is working and weeasily say, oh yeah, that's
(20:57):
because of lack of knowledge.
But quite often there are otherthings involved.
You know, we donate our oldequipment, we get rid of it, so
it's not our problem anymore andwe think, oh, that's useful,
gives us a good feeling.
But on the other side, where itis already difficult to get
spare parts, for example, andrepair equipment, or sometimes
(21:20):
there is also the lack ofknowledge or experience to
repair equipment or no access toservice manuals, for example,
and that makes why so muchequipment that has been donated
is not in use.
So it opened my eyes.
You know that we need to bemore careful in the Western
(21:41):
world with donations.
If you donate your old car andgive it to your younger brother,
for example.
You know, when you know it is abad car and it's using a lot of
oil, you probably think twicebefore you donate it to your
(22:02):
smaller brother or you tell himwhat's wrong with it.
But that's quite often not thecase.
When we donate something, wethink oh yeah, I don't use it
anymore.
this is all the equipment.
Yeah, let's look for a goodpurpose, but it would be better
if we first repair and make surethat all the documentation
that's needed to operate theequipment safe you know, service
(22:26):
manual, user manual.
If we make sure that that isavailable, then donate it, or
even consider donating newequipment.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
I think that's one of the major eye-opening for me in
the past few years as well, andsince we're talking about
donations, mercyship, as we know, relies heavily on volunteers
and, no doubt, donations.
Also, how can individuals andorganizations support the
(22:55):
mission of Mercyship in terms offunding and volunteer
opportunities?
I know you mentioned aboutdonating equipment, but how can
they help out in terms offunding and, say, volunteer
opportunities?
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Yeah, well, there are different ways to help.
If I look to companies, forexample, some companies can
contribute, even with equipment.
We partner already with somecompanies that donate or give
equipment with a big discount.
Of course, financial aid isalso, the donations are also
(23:32):
possible, and I think humancapital is very valuable.
You know the whole world islooking for engineers, I believe
, at the moment.
So look to the volunteer part.
What companies or hospitals ororganizations can do as well is
release your people for sometime so they can volunteer on
(23:54):
board.
It might be difficult to freeup somebody's time, but I'm 100%
sure that they come back withso much more dedication to the
work, also because they haveseen how it can be so different
in another country that youcount your blessings.
For the long term.
(24:14):
It would be good also if youallow your people to volunteer.
And if you're listening to thispodcast and you're interested
yourself in volunteering, Iwould say have a look at
opportunitiesmurceshipsorg andyou can see which possibilities
there are.
So we had project assistantsand those were people that
(24:38):
volunteered for short termcommitments like four weeks.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
I know you probably made making Kimberly Ames real
proud, mentioning all theopportunities, what I will
definitely put in the commentlink all the information you
just mentioned so they can clickon the links and see what the
mercieship has to offer Now.
Thank you so much.
What skills or qualities do youbelieve are essential for
(25:03):
someone Considering volunteeringwith mercieships, especially in
a health care capacity?
Speaker 2 (25:10):
What is necessary for mercieships?
Also what is necessary for anormal hospital, I would say,
because I believe the qualitiesof a good biomedical technician
is that they are eager, curious,never think.
When they have an answer,always think twice.
(25:32):
Is this really the answer or dowe need to dig deeper?
Look at another source.
What probably is a quality thatyou need to have on board is
that you need to be able to beworking independently more than
in a normal hospital because theteams are so small.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Looking to the future , what are your hopes and
aspirations for the continuedwork of Mercy Ships?
Speaker 2 (26:03):
My big hope at the moment is that we are able to
work side by side with localbiomedical technicians.
We have already onboard thementoring program and they do
that with some nurses andsurgeons.
They invite local surgeons towork onboard side by side with
(26:24):
our own surgeons, for example,or nurses, and I would like to
see that to happen as well forbiomedical technicians.
I think on one side itcontributes to their experience
because they see a total workinghospital.
(26:45):
They see all processes and cantake out of our situation what
might work in their situation.
You can teach a lot, you know,go there and teach and offer a
course, but then you're tellingthem what to do.
But if you show by example whatyou are doing and show a
(27:07):
working example, that allowslocal healthcare providers and
biomedical technicians in thiscase to take out of those
examples what might work intheir situation with probably
more limited resources.
But if they have seen the wholesystem working, then they can
take whatever they think isuseful in their environment.
(27:30):
So what I'm really lookingforward to is to have a kind of
mentoring program and have localbiomedical technicians, for two
or three months probably at atime, working alongside with us
and on board of the global mercy.
We have the space to do that.
Our workshop is quite big, soI'm really looking forward to
(27:52):
you know, start that program.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Gido, can you share any personal lessons or insights
you've gained from your time asa Mercy Ships volunteer that
have a lasting impact on yourlife and career?
Speaker 2 (28:10):
But when I look back now after four years I think,
wow, I've learned so much.
You know from other peoplearound me colorfulness of this
world.
That's amazing.
You know that you are just alittle part in this whole.
You know well in Mercy Ships,in this organization, but also
(28:34):
in life.
You know you're just playingyour little part.
You need to value the othersaround you because you can learn
so much from others.
I would have never experiencedthis if I was living in the
Netherlands for the rest of mylife and didn't step out.
You know that mind shift thatopens my eyes from okay, you are
(28:57):
here to help to watch, you know, change my attitude to okay, I
have learned so much from otherskind of humbles you and I think
that's very helpful for therest of your life and career as
well.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
In conclusion and I appreciate you coming on, gido
what message or encouragementwould you like to leave with our
listeners about the importanceof humanitarian work and
volunteering with organizationslike Mercy Ships?
Speaker 2 (29:30):
I hope that I brought this message over, that it
contributes to your own life aswell.
A quote of Dr Gary Parker, whoserves on board as well.
It's a surgeon, he servesalready for more than 34 years
with Mercy Ships and he says youcannot change the whole world,
but you can change the wholeworld for one person at a time
(29:53):
and another and another.
So what we sometimes tend tosay about humanitarian work as
you know, you cannot solve allworld problems, but if you have
this perspective, it is bigenough to take on your own
shoulders, but small enough totake on your own shoulders, but
(30:17):
big enough to leave a lastinglegacy in this world.
Yeah, it adds so much to yourown life.
Even though you are going togive, you get back more than you
would give yourself.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
I know I said that was the last question, but one
just popped in my head by youtalking about the doctor's quote
.
Can you discuss maybe the typesof medical treatments and
surgeries you have witnessed andhow they have transformed the
lives of the patients?
Speaker 2 (30:50):
It was for a surgery going on and I continued my walk
towards the OR and then Ipassed the OR where a big
surgery was going on and theyremoved the tumor of 12 or 13
kilograms or so from the back ofthe patient.
It was massive tumor and Icould not imagine how that
(31:13):
changed the life of that patient.
Just imagine that you have abackpack continuously on your
back with the weight of 13 kilosand you need to do everything
with that your job.
I think the relief for thatpatient was massive.
We have different types ofsurgeries on board.
(31:34):
We focus mainly on the types ofsurgery that picks the problems
that are caused by poverty.
So we do a lot of max-facsurgery maxilliofacial, the
tumors in the mouth, neck.
We have reconstructed plasticson board and you see how
(31:58):
patients, usually with burncontractures, are freed again so
they have functional arms orlegs and they can do the job
again and live normal life.
That changes messes.
I have seen the kids coming inwith their wind-swept legs and
(32:19):
orthopedic surgeons they fix itand they walk out with straight
legs again after a few weeks.
It's massive transformation inthe life of those patients, very
visible for us on board as well.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
I'm still sitting here thinking about the 13
kilogram tumor.
That's what 28 pounds could be.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
I think so that's mind-blowing.
What you guys doing iscommendable and appreciate all
the work you're doing, sir.
You did a great work andanytime you would like to come
back and share more stories,you're more than welcome.
Thank you for your time.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Thank you so much for having me Bryant and sharing a
little bit about the work of thechips.
Yeah not a problem.
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