Empowering Women in Healthcare: How Matron Betsy Deen is Transforming Surgery in Sierra Leone
By investing in the training and leadership of women like Matron Deen, Mercy Ships is helping to ensure that surgical care is not only accessible today but sustainable for generations to come
FREETOWN, March 9, 2025 — Yesterday was International Women’s Day, and a time to celebrate the women shaping the future of healthcare across Africa. Among them is Matron Betsy Deen, a trailblazer in surgical care at Connaught Hospital, Sierra Leone’s largest government hospital.
Running a hospital isn’t an easy task — it takes leaders carefully orchestrating a sea of moving parts to keep operations running smoothly. Matron Betsy Deen is that person at Connaught Hospital’s surgical department in Freetown. As a Surgical Matron, Deen is not only leading surgical teams but also helping to elevate healthcare standards in Sierra Leone through training and collaboration.
During international charity Mercy Ships’ 2023-24 field service in Freetown, several training opportunities were offered through Education, Training, and Advocacy (ETA) programmes, which helped strengthen the ties between Mercy Ships and Sierra Leone’s healthcare network.
As one of the medical professionals who came on board the Global Mercy™ for training in Sierra Leone, Matron Deen became a familiar face who helped bridge the connection between Mercy Ships and the healthcare staff she oversees.
This International Women’s Day, Mercy Ships honors the contributions of women in healthcare who are leading change, breaking barriers, and transforming lives. Women like Matron Betsy Deen, who are at the heart of this mission — mentoring, educating, and strengthening healthcare systems from within.
Breaking Barriers in Surgical Care
Matron Betsy Deen has over three decades of experience in the surgical field, having started her nursing career in 1991 before specializing in perioperative nursing. Her leadership at Connaught Hospital has been instrumental in shaping the next generation of surgical nurses, ensuring that the country’s healthcare system continues to strengthen.
During her time aboard the Global Mercy, Matron Deen shadowed Mercy Ships nurses, nursing managers, and hospital staff, gaining insights into surgical services, hospital administration, and patient care processes.
“Through the ETA [program], I was able to broaden my horizon of knowledge on various areas such as team building, patient safety, patient satisfaction, administration in the operating theatre, and sterile processing,” she shared.
Women Leading Change in Global Healthcare
Across Africa, women in healthcare are driving transformational change, and Matron Deen’s story is a powerful example. Her role is not only about managing surgical procedures but also about fostering an environment of continuous learning and improvement in healthcare services, ensuring that Sierra Leone’s healthcare system can meet the needs of its population more effectively.
As a result of the partnership with Mercy Ships, Matron Deen has expanded her knowledge and training to enhance medical capacity in Sierra Leone, something that directly impacts the country’s development long after Mercy Ships sails to its next partner nation.
“The training that nurses are receiving [from Mercy Ships] is very important because the time that the nurse spends [provides them with the] opportunity to experience international standards. There are so many things for them to learn from the different hospital systems and processes that are in place,” Matron Deen explained.
“This is what I got from Mercy Ships. I was able to take training back from an international hospital and then I can explain or train others that wouldn’t have the opportunity to come to the ship. And at the same time, I also look at myself as a whole and say, ‘what can I do better?’” she said.
Through her learning at Mercy Ships, Matron Deen has fine-tuned her own management style for her team at Connaught. Further, she has lobbied members of her own team to participate in training aboard the Global Mercy, so that local nurses gain valuable experience and knowledge they can then apply to their daily work to improve patient care.
“The most impactful to me was the opportunity to be part of the team briefing on the Global Mercy. The briefing takes place in the morning before the first case of the day, in the presence of all surgical team members to discuss plans. This is the organization structure that I brought back to my own team.”
“I really hope in the short term we can fully implement the processes I learned with Mercy Ships. Since I have been back, I have trained my team on how to understand our surgical schedules and lists better, how to anticipate cancellations, and how to address special needs, to name a few,” Deen explained.
Strengthening Sierra Leone’s Healthcare System
“This partnership between Mercy Ships and the Ministry of Health is very important because it not only continues to carry out free surgeries for people in high need in Sierra Leone, but it also seeks to train healthcare personnel and gives them the opportunity to improve our knowledge,” she said.
By investing in the training and leadership of women like Matron Deen, Mercy Ships is helping to ensure that surgical care is not only accessible today but sustainable for generations to come.
“I am a surgical nurse. That’s my specialty; that’s my area. And yet we have so many people in Sierra Leone that cannot get access to proper surgical care for one reason or the other. So, this partnership between Mercy Ships and the Ministry is very important because it not only continues to carry out free surgeries for people in high need in Sierra Leone, it also seeks to train healthcare personnel and gives them the opportunity to improve our knowledge,” she explained.
The long-term engagement with Mercy Ships is expected to have a significant positive impact on the healthcare system in Sierra Leone. Enhanced training and exposure to international standards of care will lead to better health outcomes and a more robust surgical system nationwide.
“We can focus on acquiring skills to implement at our facility level to strengthen our capacity. Training like this indirectly saves thousands of lives. And that is what Mercy Ships is doing, and I just think it’s great,” Matron Deen explained.
As Mercy Ships continues its work in Sierra Leone and Madagascar in 2025, it remains committed to empowering more women like Matron Deen—because when women in healthcare thrive, entire communities benefit.
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