Before I headed out to Afghanistan in December 2007 I had heard from contact that a doctor from Whitby was working out there. I was lucky enough to track him down for an interview…

PATIENTS of a doctor in the Scarborough area could be forgiven for wondering where he has been for the past few months.

Few would suspect he is currently a senior clinical director of a field hospital in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

Lt Col John McAuley, who works at the Spring Vale Medical Centre in Whitby as well as the 24/7 minor injuries unit at Scarborough Hospital, is serving with the Territorial Army and is based in Camp Bastion.

He said: “It was the chance to use my medical experience. In my 20-odd years as a GP I’d probably seen one gunshot wound. In one week here I’ve seen blast injuries, amputations and gunshot wounds.”

Lt Col McAuley said it was a case of “famine and feast” at the field hospital with life being particularly busy during the liberation of Musa Qala operation – where the former Taliban stronghold was liberated in an Afghan national Army led operation.

As well as injuries from the battlefield, staff at the hospital have to deal with medical problems and patients include British, American, Danish and Afghan people – both civilian and military – as well as children.

He said: “We’ve had a few children here. They have been emotionally difficult to deal with. It can be emotional and draining. As a parent you see young children damaged but you have to move on to the next patient.”

Because of the nature of some of the injuries priority is given to stopping catastrophic haemorrhaging, where needed, before airways, breathing and circulation, because of the life-threatening nature of massive blood loss.

Lt Col McAuley said: “If they were losing limbs they were having catastrophic haemorrhaging and the technique emerged to address the serious bleeding in response to the injuries.”

He added the situation in the field hospital was “atypical” but he could see the technique being taken up by the NHS if the situation demanded it.

“It depends because in the UK they could just have one consultant looking after the patient whereas here there will be more,” he said.

Lt Col McAuley initially joined the TA in 1994 and a lot of the personnel at the Afghanistan field hospital were primarily NHS staff serving with the TA.

He has been a member of TA210 Newcastle since 1994 and wanted to send a message to his wife, Philippa, and children Alex, Cameron and Magnus.

He said: “I missed you all at Christmas and am sorry I am not there where I should be. I’ll see you at the end of January and I am looking forward to seeing you in the New Year.

“I am just trying to continue to do the best for people out here – whoever comes through the door.”

From the Scarborough Evening News on Saturday, January 5, 2008.