Dr Harry Barry: 'He smashed my teeth. I've had four operations. After the last one the doctor said, there is nothing more I can do'

"It's a long way from Holles Street to the African Bush. But when Dr ­Harry Barry's wife, Brenda, began to go into labour with their second child in rural Tanzania, the experience gained as a young medic in the Irish maternity hospital stood to him."

""The child wasn't due until February of the following year but there were no scans or anything. Just before Christmas she went into labour," he says."

Brenda began labour with her and Dr Harry Barry's second child while in rural Tanzania, months before the due date. No scans or formal prenatal resources were available in the setting. The labour occurred just before Christmas, requiring immediate practical medical response. Experience gained as a young medic in the Holles Street maternity hospital proved valuable and applicable in the African bush environment. Earlier life experiences included instances of being bullied. The rural context highlighted challenges of limited prenatal care and the reliance on clinical skills over technology in emergencies.

Read at Independent