Dr Michael McBrien, a consultant anaesthetist from Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital, was awarded an MBE for his long‑standing work with the Christian medical charity Mercy Ships. The honour was presented by the Princess Royal at Windsor Castle as part of the King’s Birthday Honours.
Mercy Ships, founded in 1978, operates two hospital ships that travel along the coasts of Africa, delivering life‑saving surgery to patients who otherwise lack safe, affordable care. Each year, roughly 2,500 medical volunteers join the crews, and this year the charity performed 3,000 surgeries, addressing the needs of 90 % of people in sub‑Saharan Africa who cannot access safe operations.
Dr McBrien has been a volunteer since 2011 and has completed 16 stints aboard the ships. He recalled a particularly moving case involving a patient named Sambany, who suffered the largest facial tumour Mercy Ships had ever treated. “Six friends carried him on their backs for two days to reach the ship,” he said. “I anaesthetised him and spent the day in theatre as the surgeons worked. The next morning I removed the breathing tube, and over the following two weeks I watched his miraculous recovery.”
When informed of his MBE, Dr McBrien described feeling “quite emotional” and expressed that the award was a recognition of the entire volunteer crew. “I’m just a small cog amidst an incredible crew who serve on board, so I’m happy to receive this award on behalf of all the volunteers,” he added.
Source: Christian Today
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