Ealing Doctor Returns from African Adventure
Victoria Parris spent three months helping people of war torn Tigray
Victoria Parris
August 10, 2023
When Victoria Parris and her colleagues at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) found the pharmacy was the only building in town with air conditioning it became the cool place to hang out.
Not that there was much down time for the hospital consultant who spend three months in the small town in Tigray in the north of Ethiopia supporting a community recovering from a two-year war.
Victoria, who works part-time as an infectious diseases’ consultant at Ealing and Northwick Park Hospitals, spends three months a year abroad with MSF.
The medical humanitarian organisation provides medical assistance to countries in desperate need of medical support.
It was Victoria's second visit to the region where she worked in a local health clinic.
The clinic, which attracted more than 100 people a day, included a four-bed emergency room, a maternity ward and treatment for survivors of sexual violence.
Victoria said, “You have to be able to think on your feet and turn your hand to anything. It is challenging but also rewarding to know you are making a difference.
“My role included triaging patients who needed to go to the nearest hospital a two-hour drive away; securing a supply of anti-venom to treat snake bites; and setting up a courier service to deliver sputum samples from patients with suspected TB. You certainly don’t get bored.”
Victoria's resume includes working during an Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, tackling Diphtheria in Bangladesh and spells in Armenia and Ukraine.
On her plans for the future she says, “I’m back at Ealing for now but next Spring I’ll be contacting MSF and see where they need me.”
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