A #CWMBRAN man is working as an NHS Ebola volunteer in #Sierra Leone. Michael Gibbs, 30, is working at a Department for International Development funded facility at Kerry Town and was deployed on January 11 for a four-week stint. The facility, which his run by Save the Children charity, opened its doors on November 5, 2014 and discharged its 100th Ebola survivor earlier this month. Mr Gibbs, who is an advanced clinical practitioner at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham, works alongside other clinicians to provide any basic needs and clinical help for the patients at the facility. Mr Gibbs enters the red zone, which is frequented exclusively by patients with Ebola and health workers wearing personal protective equipment, up to three times per day. He said: “It’s such a shame in a way that we can’t provide more care but basic care is fundamental. “It’s difficult to build a rapport with the protective equipment on. “When I go into a ward, I’ll wave to the patients and ask how they’re doing and about their family. They seem to remember you from that.” He added: “It was nice last week (Jan 19), as there were three sisters. Sadly, their mum and dad both died from Ebola. They all came in at the same time, positive with Ebola. “But, fortunately, yesterday the sisters were all discharged free from Ebola. They’ve all got each other and they can start their life again.” More than 1,600 people have put their name forward to volunteer in Sierra Leone. So far, the DFID has deployed more than 100 NHS volunteers and this is intentionally phased so that it can be sustained throughout the response. Mr Gibbs said that he was moved to become a volunteer after witnessing the horrors of Ebola on the news. He said: “It was quite upsetting to see that all you could really do in a lot of cases is basically watch people die. “I felt what I was watching evolve on the TV was horrible and I felt that I could offer some help, however small that might be. “I felt frustrated that in Britain we have a fantastic health service – something that’s often neglected – while these people have nothing at all.” He added: “My family have been really supportive. They knew there was a risk but they’ve appreciated that I’ve been in regular contact. “By the time I get home, I’d like to have felt that I’ve been able to help at least some of the patients. “Just knowing that I’ve assisted people and that I’ve made them comfortable is all that’s important to me.”
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 10:31:32 +0000
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