A Perth nurse is preparing to return home after spending two months volunteering on board the world’s largest charity hospital ship.

Armadale Health Service nurse Sandy Panomarenko has served as a ward nurse aboard the Africa Mercy, where she has cared for people undergoing surgery for facial reconstruction, tumours, cleft lip and palate repairs, along with war injuries.

The Africa Mercy is part of global charity Mercy Ships, which is currently undertaking a ten-month field assignment in the West African nation of Sierra Leone, one of the world’s poorest countries.

Ms Panomarenko said it was a privilege to help patients in need, from children through to adults.

"A 30-year-old man came for surgery to repair a cleft lip and palate, something that would be repaired as an infant in Australia," she said.

"That man had lived with that along with the major problems of eating and communicating for 30 years. What a joy it was to see his life changed!"

The Canning Vale nurse said it was confronting to discover that many mothers in Sierra Leone, with babies suffering severe medical problems, are told their babies are cursed and must be abandoned.

"There was a seven-year-old girl named Memuna. She came for surgery to remove a massive tumour in her mouth," Ms Panomarenko said.

"The girl’s mother had spent a lot of time taking Memuna to traditional healers, without result. She did so well after surgery, and looked like a new girl - in fact, she was a new girl.

"That work is vital in countries like Sierra Leone, in the developing world, where there is not access to the medical care we have and expect to have in our part of the developed world."

Mercy Ships has operated hospital ships in developing nations since 1978, providing free health care and community development services to the poor.

Each year, the ship provides more than 7000 free surgeries while volunteer medical and support staff pay their way to the ship.

The Africa Mercy houses a state-of-the-art hospital with six operating theatres, 78 hospital beds and a crew of 450 people and also features a range of off-ship projects from optical and dental to nutrition, community health and mental health.

For more information visit www.mercyships.org.au.