Birmingham TA medics heading to Afghanistan
Dec 15 2008 By Edward Chadwick
DOZENS of Birmingham medics are to be sent to Afghanistan to care for troops injured in the notorious Helmand province, it was announced today.
More than 80 doctors and nurses from the Territorial Army’s Birmingham-based 202 Field Hospital will spend three months manning a medical centre at the British military’s Camp Bastion HQ from April.
The announcement came just three days after four Royal Marines, including one from the Midlands, were killed in two blasts by bombers, bringing the number of British military personnel killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 132.
Dr Sue Fair, aged 32 and from Sutton Coldfield, was posted to Iraq in 2003 and will be among those sent out next year.
She said: “We’ve been trained very well and will continue to train right up to the point where we leave.
“But nothing can really prepare you for what you are likely to face in a theatre of conflict like Afghanistan.
“We are professionals but in light of recent events, there’s bound to be a certain amount of trepidation, even though we will be in a secure and established base.
