Page 17 - LBV 2023
P. 17
A visit to the British High Commission in Suva, Fiji
Over the Summer, JUO William Ross (Pembroke College, University of Cambridge) completed a 7-week clinical placement in Emergency Medicine in Fiji. During this trip, William and a fellow Cambridge medical student were invited to visit the British High Commission in Suva on Monday 8th August 2023.
During this visit, William met with
the different departments to find out about the various roles of the British High Commission in Fiji, including
their work in development and climate; political advice and analysis; defence engagement; and the support of Fijian veterans, returning home after their service with the British Army. William was particularly interested to hear about UK supported coral and mangrove conservation projects, aiming to tackle the effects of extreme weather and climate change in Fiji and the how UK
efforts in Fiji and other South Pacific Islands plays an important role in UK defence strategy in the region, as part of the Indo-Pacific Tilt.
William was also fortunate enough
to sit down with the British High Commissioner to Fiji, Dr Brian Jones,
to share his experiences in Fiji and find out more about the work of the High Commission in Suva. A massive thank you to the Defence Advisor, LtCol Sophie Waters, and SSgt Gary Morrissey for hosting William during this visit!
JUO Ross @ukinfiji
Ex COLLABORATING SERPENT
On the 3 – 5th February, some of our officer cadets had the opportunity to spend a weekend with our local medical reserve regiment. 254 medical regiment, invited the group of officer cadets to take part in their vital medical training weekend in Yorkshire.
“Over the course of the weekend, myself and my peers were given the opportunity a deep look into the inner workings of training with new equipment, administration and the people which make up a medical reservist unit. A highlight of the weekend that stuck
with me was the chinook simulator medical evacuation training. Contrary
to the back seat experience I thought
we’d be positioned in we started with some overview and run throughs on the process of evacuating injured persons from a battlefield location. After an extensive morning of training, we were thrust into the live simulation, a military ambulance sped around the corner and stopped.
Situation: two heavily injured causalities needed to be evacuated by the chinook and their injuries stabilised while ‘in-flight.’ Calmly walking the stretchers towards the rear door, we were guided inside, the speakers loudly blaring the sound of gunfire and spinning rotor blades. When my casualty was
laid down the intense situation ensued
as myself and the medical team went
to stabilise the casualty’s injuries. As I was applying tourniquets on arms and bandages on the stomach a sense of urgency washed over me. Although I had no medical background, with the assistance of my team we were able to complete the task with quickly, efficiently and professionalism. This weekend definitely opened my eyes to the truly challenging role and professionalism of members within a medical role. But also, a needed thank you to 254 Med Reg for inviting OCdts to an interesting and eye- opening insight into their training that was thoroughly enjoyed.”
THE LIGHT BLUE VOLUNTEER 17