Doctor on mission to help children in Sierra Leone
THERE are few parts of the world where the public health challenges are so great. Still reeling from the effects of the Ebola virus, the authorities in Sierra Leone is also grappling with the spread of infectious diseases such as malaria and measles.
But for Swansea doctor Michael Bryant, the country represents unfinished business.
He had worked there on several occasions, most recently during the midst of the ebola crisis when he was involved in identifying suspected cases of the virus.
He had always pledged to return and still carries two ID cards with him – the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University (ABMU) health board one he wears on duty and the one issued by the Aberdeen Women’s Centre in the capital of Freetown where he worked for two years.
He said: “When I arrived in 2010 they gave me this name badge and it is really special to me. I have kept it with me to show I haven’t really left.”
He will start his next stint in the country next month when he becomes the lead paediatric doctor at a medical centre serving the Kono district, which has the same population as the area covered by ABMU Health Board. He will be joined by his wife Bethany to become the only doctors with paediatric training serving 500,000 people.
When he does go back he won’t be empty handed. The Bryants, who live in Pontardawe, plan to raise £3,000 for a much-needed blood bank.
“The first thing we are going to do when we get there is set up an oxygen system, but the next thing is going to be a transfusion system. We know this will get us off to a flying start.”
They are already over halfway to their total but now Michael, a member of Swansea Harriers, and Bethany hope to boost the figure through sponsorship as they take on weekly Park Runs across South Wales dressed in nurses’ scrubs.
Their long-term aim would be to combine working in Wales with time spent volunteering in Sierra Leone.
That way Michael can continue to fulfill an ambition he’s had since his childhood in Senegal where his parents were teachers. When Michael was 12 his younger brother fell ill with encephalitis – an inflammation of the brain.
“He was ill for weeks, a lot of people weren’t quite sure he was going to make it and he would have died if we hadn’t been able to get him to a hospital,” said Michael, who works at the Acute GP Unit at Singleton Hospital.
“That was the trigger for me, not only to study medicine but also to think about the other local people who don’t have access to healthcare.”
He added: “While I’m gone I will miss the way that things really work here at Singleton, there is water, heating, light and oxygen on tap. I come into work every day and things are functioning. Of course, it’s not perfect but there is a structure, whereas in Sierra Leone there isn’t.
“More than half the population is under 15. Children are being treated but by people who are not trained. They are doing their best in difficult circumstances and they need some help – that’s why we are going.”
And, he says, that is why his two years working in Singleton has been so valuable.
“Here you don’t know what’s coming through the door next. We take referrals from GPs and function initially as a triage service but we do see a lot of unwell patients. In terms of my ability to manage emergencies that has been absolutely vital and it has really benefited my clinical skills.
“In Kono there are so few doctors – maybe less than 10 – that inevitably we are going to be doing everything so it is important to have a broad understanding and the ability to work in other settings.”
The health centre the couple will be based at was purpose built during the height of the ebola crisis in 2015 to treat other conditions neglected during the outbreak.
Michael, who also works as a GP at Llansamlet Medical Centre, said: “In many ways it’s like a game of football, to win you need to do the simple things well – like knowing when to use oxygen and how to do transfusions because when children get severe malaria they become malnourished and can get very anaemic.”