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Highland GP to fight Ebola in Sierra Leone

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A Highland GP is flying to Sierra Leone to help set up a new Ebola treatment centre.

Dr Chris Mair, of Creich Surgery in Bonar Bridge, will spend six weeks leading a small medical team at the centre near Freetown, the capital of the crisis stricken West African country.

The 60-year-old father-of-three, who runs the Sutherland surgery with his wife, Janet, is believed to be the only doctor from Highland to volunteer for the frontline battle against the deadly virus.

Dr Mair applied for the post just over a month ago and was selected following a stringent vetting process.

He said: “I have experience in anaesthetics, I’m confident with the medical procedures they’ll be doing and have some experience in management-type roles.”

He added that he trained in hospital medicine before going into general practice and still worked one night a fortnight at Migdale Hospital in Bonar Bridge.

Before setting off for Sierra Leone, Dr Mair will join other medics at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, for training and briefing on the situation they will encounter.

He said: “I have very little idea what I will be facing, beyond what I have picked up from the media.

“That doesn’t trouble me – I will just have to deal with whatever I encounter.

“But I do know I have to go. The situation in West Africa is horrific, and frankly I think the response to the appeal for people to help has been quite pathetic.”

He added that he was well aware of the risks but, after discussing it with his family, he was convinced he was doing the right thing.

Dr Mair is expecting to be the medical lead for a team of about six to eight doctors, nurses and paramedics at the 92-bed Kerry Town Ebola treatment centre.

It provides care for infected healthcare workers and for confirmed and suspected cases of Ebola. It also has a blood testing laboratory.

The GP explained that he had been interested in the Ebola virus since he was a medical student in the 1970s and said he believed the experience would be “life-changing”.