AN EDEN doctor who retired early to work for a renowned international medical charity is urging Cumbrians to support its new campaign to raise vital funds.
Former Kirkby Stephen GP Carl Hallam, who worked for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in Asia and North Africa, wants people to use their wills to leave cash to the organ-isation.
Dr Hallam, now 68, first worked for MSF, translated as Doctors Without Borders, during the aftermath of the Asian tsunami.
“I was working for the Sisters of Mercy charity in southern India when the tsunami struck,” he said.
“I rang MSF to offer my help and they told me to go straight to Sumatra, close to the epicentre of the earth-quake that caused the tsunami.”
MSF was the first intern-ational organisation to provide medical aid to people in Aceh, the region most devastated by the tsunami on Boxing Day 2004, a situation Dr Hallam described as ‘truly horrendous’.
The epicentre of the earth-quake occurred less than 250 kilometres away from the town of Banda Aceh, and a series of aftershocks hit less than 100 kilometres away.
Dr Hallam faced a situation less dramatic, but no less devastating in terms of human suffering, on his next assign-ment in Sudan, where MSF medics were dealing with the horrific fallout from continuing conflict in war-torn Darfur.
Yorkshire-born Dr Hallam, who lives at Crosby Garrett, completed his medical training with the Royal Marines, which enabled him to travel the world.
He spent 30 years as a GP in Kirkby Stephen before deciding to retire at 31.
“The six and a half years I spent in the Royal Marines gave me the travel bug,” he said.
“I loved being a GP in Kirkby Stephen - it was an enormous privilege - but after 30 years decided I wanted to do something that involved travelling, so I retired early to do aid work.”
Dr Hallam continues to devote some of his well-earned retirement to helping the MSF cause, often giving talks on the charity’s hugely important work. “I would urge people to consider making a bequest to MSF when they make a will.”
To donate to MSF email ukfundraising@london.msf.org
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