Doctor helps give 'new lease of life' to patients

Simon West worked with a team that provided 57 free hip and knee replacements to patients in Vietnam

A Jersey doctor says he is proud to have helped give people "a new lease at life" as part of a charity mission in Vietnam.

Simon West, the medical director for Health and Care Jersey, worked with a team that provided 57 free hip and knee replacements to patients in October.

He was part of the 88-person team that examined 75 patients over the week they were there - operating on "as many joints" as they could.

Mr West said it was a rewarding experience to help those who would otherwise be unable to access that healthcare.

He said as a surgoen "the thing you get the greatest joy from" is helping patients - some of whom "can't even walk when you first meet them".

Simon West said it was a rewarding experience to help those unable to access healthcare

Mr West began working with the charity Operation Walk Ireland in 2018.

He said the team brought all the equipment, including drugs and donated prosthetics, they needed with them to the country.

The doctor estimated he did 12 of the 57 replacements - mostly knee operations and "a couple of more difficult" hip replacements.

One patient said the surgery would help him go "back to a normal life"

On the final day, Mr West said the patients took part in a "parade", walking down a hospital hallway to applause from other patients and the medical team.

"That's a really heartwarming moment to see all of those patients standing up and telling us what we've delivered for them and how it's made them feel - giving them a new lease of life," he said.

A total of 57 people received free hip and knee replacements

One patient said the surgery would help him go "back to a normal life".

Mr West said the experience taught him he could do his job from "anywhere in the world with the most basic of instruments".

"It's the people that you operate with, the people that you work with and a strong independent team is probably the most important thing," he added.