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well, i would say it s good health care, but it s just a time plan. you wait longer. in jamaica, nearly half the population lives in the southeast region of the country. that includes the capital city of kingston. a population boom has put a big strain on the health infrastructure here. not enough doctors. not enough resources or operating rooms. it all means less urgent operations like marlene s to remove her thyroid get moved down the priority list. she s been waiting to have this operation for three years. presently, i m not on any medication. you know, so the appointment apparently it s on this ship. you heard marlene correctly. she said a ship. against the blue jamaican sky, you can t miss it. bright white with large red crosses. this is the usns comfort. it s the largest hospital ship in the world. it shares that title with its sister, the mercy. the twin ships are actually oil ....
You ll go ahead and load here. all surgical patients send the night before their surgery on the ship to get comfortable and acclimated. there is anxiety and excitement as they ride through the city toward the ship. a drive through the commercial port, and the comfort comes into sight for the first time. line up here in front of this young lady. not one of these selected patients has ever set foot on a ship before. they go through security screening. then, more testing. and every step of the way, making sure they are still fit for their operations. you cannot tell any friends. after her vital signs are checked, marlene and tracy are escorted to another part of the ship. this will be their home for the night. a few more tests, and it s time to get settled in. that s my bed for tonight. ....
Operation ever, what would happen to you? it would turn to cancer and kill me. that s what they told you? me say that. because it get bigger. to i can t control it and turn cancer. i wish you luck. you look like you re in good spirits. yeah, man. they treat me nice up here. they treat you nice? nice, nice, nice. kimberly is very nice. kimberly is very nice? yeah. kimberly is lieutenant junior grade kimberly stoops, marlene s nurse. she s 27 years old. and on her first deployment with the comfort. i know it s scary for a lot of these patients coming on to a ship that they re not familiar with. i mean, a hospital in general is scary, but then coming somewhere where it s not your territory also as much, and then seeing people in uniform sometimes can be daunting. so they ll try and break down those borders, introduce my name, and if they have any questions, please let me know. ....
So it really varies by patient. this is one of two mobile medical sites the comfort crew has set up on this stop in jamaica. the other one is across the city at the maxville clinic. it s in a more residential area. easily accessible for people who might not have been able to make it to the sports arena. registration lines are long. but spirits are high. in all, 9,744 patients will be treated at the two sites. but today, back on the ship, marlene maxwell and her daughter tracy find themselves waiting once again. hi, sanjay. how are you? i m doing fine. how are you? well, just bored. you re bored? they spent last night onboard the comfort, and today marlene is having her thyroid removed. it s an operation she s waited three years for. it s finally going to happen in one of the 12 operating rooms on the ship. are you excited? are you nervous? i was nervous, but not anymore. if you didn t have this ....
Whenever the usns comfort shows up anywhere in the world, it sends a strong message. and it means many things. potential revenue for the host country. a form of international medical diplomacy. and lots and lots of grateful patients. patients like marlene maxwell, who had her life-saving operation right here on this ship. for vital signs, i m dr. sanjay gupta. thanks for watching. across america, people like basketball hall of famer ....