Martin Deahl, a British doctor working in Sierra Leone, reflects on the highs and lows of the ‘most surreal and extraordinary’ Christmas of his life
• Part one: Confronting Ebola for the first time generates strong emotions
• Part two: We relieve pain and distress, but in all honesty we rarely save
• Part three: Katiada showed extraordinary courage in battling Ebola
Dr Martin Deahl is a consultant psychiatrist from Shropshire. He works with the international aid agency Goal at their Ebola treatment centre in Port Loko, Sierra Leone. This is his fourth report for the Guardian.
I’m relaxing following a night shift, reflecting on one of the most surreal 24 hours and certainly most extraordinary Christmases of my life. First the good, and most important news: patients are visibly recovering and you don’t need a medical degree to see it. For our first week, patients were bed-bound, distressed and unable to help themselves. Today, six out of 12 were walking around, sitting outside the ward in the sun and largely self-caring. So we must be doing something right.
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