Doctor drops Senedd bid to continue fight against Covid
A CARMARTHENSHIRE doctor is sacrificing his political ambitions in order to concentrate on his ground-breaking work in treating coronavirus patients.
Dr Rhys Thomas, a former army medic with the rank of Lt Colonel who served with distinction in many conflict zones, is a senior consultant who’s been on the frontline against Covid-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic.
As that relentless fight continues, he has made the difficult decision to stand down as Plaid Cymru’s candidate for the Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire seat in the Senedd elections on May 6.
A year ago, at the suggestion of Plaid leader Adam Price, Dr Thomas worked with Ammanford company CR Clarke and Co on developing a new type of CPAP ventilator specifically to treat Covid19 patients.
This device is now being used in hospitals in Wales and several other countries.
Dr
Thomas has also
developed a ‘virtual ward’ strategy to enable patients to avoid going into hospital by using new software and his CPAP device at home.
“As one who believes passionately in Plaid Cymru’s vision for Wales, it’s been a very difficult decision,” said Dr Thomas.
“But as a doctor in these incredibly challenging times, I’ve had to dedicate all my time and energy into developing a new way of combating Covid-19 – indeed, a whole new approach to patient treatment in general.
“Due to the continuing crisis, it would be impossible for me continue to stand as a candidate in the Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire Constituency in this election.
“I hope my time to serve Wales as a politician will come again in future, but for now I have to serve my country as a clinician.”
As Dr Rhys Thomas steps down, Cefin Campbell, a respected and experienced Carmarthenshire county councillor, has been selected to fight the constituency in the elections.
He’s also number one on the Plaid Cymru candidate list for Mid and West Wales.
Cllr Cambell lives in the Towy Valley and is married to Mari, a recently retired district nursing sister and they have three daughters.
Cllr Campbell said: “I care passionately about the future of rural areas, the environment, decent housing and jobs for our young people in towns and villages, and tackling the poverty which exists in both urban and rural communities.
“I’ve dedicated much of
my life during recent years to leading on action plans to address these issues.
“If elected to the Senedd, I’ll be applying my extensive experience on town and country matters to fight for this corner of West Wales, which has been forgotten and neglected for too long by the Conservative UK Government in London and the Labour Welsh Government in Cardiff.
“Only Plaid Cymru puts
the people of Wales first.
“We must fight our own corner for the sake of present and future generations.”
Commenting on Cefin Campbell’s candidature, Dr Thomas said: “I’ve known Cefin for many years.
“He’s a very astute, enthusiastic, energetic and intelligent person, with an incredible range of knowledge in so many fields.
“He communicates with people in a respectful manner but with great authority and would make an excellent and formidable Member of the Senedd.”
Also fighting for the Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire seat are Alistair Cameron for the Liberal Democrats, Riaz Hassan for the Labour Party and Samuel Kurtz for the Conservative Party.