Earthquakes Not Enough to Put Off British Doctors From Making Christchurch Home

British doctor Richard Clinghan was half way through assisting a seven-hour gastro operation at Christchurch Hospital when the February 22 earthquake struck.

“The lights went out and drip stands fell down, we only just stayed on our feet,” the Resident Medical Officer says.

The nature of the surgery meant the surgeons couldn’t “sew the patient back up and leave it for another day”. So the operation went on amidst the aftershocks, Richard says.

“It was very nerve wracking. Everybody was worried about their family and friends but we had a duty to the patient and had to carry on,” he says.

Although staff in the operating theatre felt the earthquake strongly, they didn’t know how significantly the city had been affected until later when they were able to check the internet and see photos.

Brian Spiers, of Nelson, was the patient receiving the gastro surgery and says he is grateful for how Christchurch Hospital staff handled the situation.

“I just feel so lucky. But of course I had a team of very skilled people looking after me,” Mr Spiers says.

Meanwhile, later that night Richard tried cycling from Christchurch Hospital to Burwood Hospital where his fiancée, Dr Wendy McBurnie, was working.

“It was dark, there were no street lights, the roads were all bumpy and full of liquefaction and I didn’t really know where I was going. I was soaked to the skin. I stopped to ask for directions and a good Samaritan gave me a lift to Burwood.”

Richard and Wendy had to leave their damaged Clifton Terrace home so joined other “homeless” overseas-trained doctors in an unaffected Sumner house for a few days after the quake.

“There were 20 of us – mainly UK doctors who live in Sumner and whose homes had been destroyed. People were cooking for each other and boiling water. No-one got much sleep as we were all working crazy hours and doing different shifts. ”

To keep their spirits up, some of those doctors, along with Kiwi colleagues, are getting together for a weekly rugby game in Hagley Park, opposite Christchurch Hospital.

Richard and Wendy fly out of ravaged Christchurch on Friday to get married in Scotland However, the earthquake hasn’t put them off. The couple are seeking residency and plan to come back permanently.

“We love it here. It may have been a less than ideal start to their married life but at least it is a story to tell our grandchildren,” he said.

ENDS

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