Medics on the front line - honours for war zone work

Published: 26 November, 2010

A BLOOMSBURY hospital has been honoured for providing nursing staff to military units worldwide. 

Major Ruth Truscott from City of London Field Hospital (Volunteers) visited Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children to present nurse Sue Snaith with a painting depicting the work of medics on the front line. 

The gift was presented in honour of her work at the intensive care unit in Camp Bastion, near Helmand in Afghanistan, which Ms Snaith described as “in the middle of nowhere”.

Ms Snaith, who has previously worked in Iraq, spent three and a half months in Afghanistan, where she helped stabilise injured soldiers, some of whom required amputations following attacks involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

She said: “I was in Iraq in 2003, which was hairy because that was at start of war. Afghanistan was different. It was much more the trauma caused by the IEDs the Taliban are using and the effect this is having on our troops.”

Dr Jane Collins, chief executive at Great Ormond Street Hospital said: “We are very proud of Sue and in fact all our staff who choose to spend time on the front line, selflessly tending to the critically injured. They play a vital role in some of the world’s war zones, taking skills from their specialist paediatric work here to help children who sadly find themselves caught up in conflict.”