Bringing badly needed medical skills to Somalia (From Croydon Guardian)

Bringing badly needed medical skills to Somalia

1:41pm Tuesday 13th December 2005 in News By Jane Bruccoleri

A doctor from Croydon has been praised for her volunteer work in east Africa.

Liz Brutus spent almost six months in east Somalia.

The GP, who now lives in Germany, worked as a volunteer for Mdecins Sans Frontires (MSF) a humanitarian aid organisation which provides emergency medical assistance to people in more than 70 countries.

Dr Brutus worked in a hospital in Somalia's north Galcayo region, dealing with chronic health problems and caring for malnourished children.

She lived inside a guarded compound and could only travel to hospital under armed escort.

An MSF spokesman said: "Somalia has had no Government for 14 years, has no functioning health system and has some of the worst health indicators in the world.

"Over one in 10 children die at birth and of those that survive, a quarter perish before their fifth birthday. That is why we need volunteers like Dr Brutus to help us."

Katherine Galliano, head of human resources for MSF UK, said: "People who volunteer their time and professional skills to go and work in remote, isolated areas are the backbone of MSF's operations. Without them our work would not be possible."

Dr Brutus was a pupil at Old Palace School before she studied medicine at Kings College London.

Speaking from the Shetland Isles, where she is working as a locum, the 35-year-old said: "For me it was feeling that I had these incredible skills people in poorer counties were desperate for. I felt guilty that I wasn't using them in a more worthy way.

"I decided it was my turn to do my bit. It was incredibly rewarding and a great way of recharging my batteries. It was an absolutely fantastic experience.

"I didn't feel the Somali people were aggressive towards us but there was so much potential conflict and our biggest fear was getting caught in the crossfire."