A team of Brentwood-based hospital consultants and theatre staff gave up two weeks of their holiday to help patients at a charity hospital in India.

Staff from the Nuffield Health Hospital, Shenfield Road, visited Tamil Nadu last month.

The clinical expertise provided by the team helped more than 1,300 people with various medical problems.

At one stage they even completed a throat operation with a wind-up torch for light because of a power cut.

Surgical procedures

The power outages are not uncommon in the area.

They also performed a number of complex surgical procedures, including screening 250 profoundly deaf children, as well as administering minor treatments and making onward referrals to special treatment centres

All the treatments administered by the team were performed free of charge.

The hospital in Tamil Nadu was originally built by Sylvia Wright, an Englishwoman who moved to India from Yorkshire and founded a charity which helps the sick and disabled.

Satha Sathanandan, consultant gynaecologist and chairman of the hospital’s fundraising team, said: “We support the Sylvia Wright Trust because we all feel strongly about the charity’s work and support its desire to offer healthcare to everyone, something many of us take for granted in this country.

“Although we experienced some very challenging situations and not something we would face in the UK, it was a great opportunity for us to be resourceful and able to help so many needy people despite adverse conditions.”

n For more information about the ongoing work of the Sylvia Wright Trust or to make a donation, visit www.sylviawrighttrust.org.