A DEDICATED Worcestershire Royal Hospital employee has received a Goverment-issued medal to recognise the bravery he demonstrated in travelling to West Africa to help tackle Ebola.
John Smith, who works in Microbiology, was presented with the medal by the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust’s, interim chief executive, Chris Tidman.
In June, John flew out to West Africa for five weeks to lead a team of NHS volunteers in helping to prevent the spread of the deadly disease in Port Loko, Sierra Leone.
He said: “It was a quite remarkable experience – for me, bravery did not feature at all – I felt strongly that I had to respond and put myself forward.”
The accolade, which was minted on the request of the Government to honour volunteers such as John, is the first of its kind to be created specifically to recognise those who have tackled a humanitarian crisis.
Chris Tidman added: “I’m delighted to be able to present this medal to John which honours the outstanding courage and bravery that he has shown to go out and help people in desperate need – congratulations John.”
