Highland GP To Return To Ebola Hit West Africa

The Highland GP who recently joined a team of volunteer medics tackling the Ebola crisis in West Africa has vowed to return there. Dr Chris Mair (61) returned to his Sutherland home shortly before New Year, having spent five weeks working in the Ebola treatment centre in Kerry Town near Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. And he says he was so shocked by what he saw that he’s determined to return this year and to help raise funds to develop healthcare in West Africa. Dr Mair added that the experience of Scots public health nurse Pauline Cafferkey, who contracted Ebola while working with him in Kerry Town, had in no way put him off returning to Sierra Leone. "If anything, it has made me more determined," he said. "The situation there is grim and I am saddened that more people haven’t volunteered. "I’m absolutely certain that I’ll go back this year, though we will be looking to take on another partner at the practice first." The father of three also revealed that before he went to Africa he discussed with his wife Janet, a fellow GP at the Creich Surgery in Bonar Bridge, and children the possibility that he might join the hundreds of healthcare workers who have died of Ebola in West Africa. "We had to consider the fact that I might not return. "When I decided that I wanted to volunteer I spoke to my family and to Sheila Carbarns, the other GP at the Creich practice, and told them that I wouldn’t go if any of them thought I shouldn’t. "Everyone was right behind me." Since his return, Dr Mair has been contacted daily by Public Health England and has briefed occupational health experts from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine on his physical and emotional wellbeing. Before he set out, he decided that he would not see any of his own patients within 21 days of his return, and he intends to return to work on 19th January. He added that he was aware that much had been said and written about what was described as a "shambles" while he and his colleagues were screened on their return to Heathrow Airport. He was also aware that some people had questioned whether healthcare professionals should go to West Africa, knowing the risks of spreading the disease. He said: "I have no issues with what happened at the airport and have encountered nothing but positive feedback since I came home. "Everyone in the local community has been extremely welcoming." And what enduring memories will Dr Mair have of his first trip to Africa? "The people," he responded. "The folk were fabulous. Despite everything, they were so cheery. I'll never forget them."