A SRI Lankan doctor is spending a year in Huddersfield to learn skills that will benefit patients in her home country – but she has had to leave her own child behind.
Herath Wataliyadda from the scenic city of Kandy in the centre of Sri Lanka is spending a year caring for children in Huddersfield and Halifax as part of her paediatric training.
The mother-of-one had to leave her young daughter in Sri Lanka during the training year.
Herath, who is living in Lindley, said: “It was a tough decision to make in the short-term but we are making it work as a family as well as we can.
“Everybody I have worked with in Huddersfield and Halifax hospitals have been extremely supportive of me.
“Working overseas for experience is an essential requirement for us and I do not think I could have benefited or enjoyed my time more than I have in West Yorkshire.
“I will be taking my skills and experiences back to Sri Lanka for the benefit of patients and their families.
“Working and living conditions in the UK when compared to Sri Lanka is quite different and it took me a while to get adjusted to the new environment.”
Herath has come to Huddersfield as part of a special agreement between the UK and Sri Lankan governments to help boost the experience of their upcoming doctors.
The agreement allows all Sri Lankan post-graduate trainee doctors to chose from working overseas in either the UK, Australia or New Zealand.
David Wise, Medical Director of NHS Calderdale and Huddersfield, the board which overseas both Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and Calderdale Royal has praised Herath’s work.
He said: “UK healthcare has an excellent reputation around the world and we are delighted that Herath is both enjoying and benefiting from her time with colleagues in Halifax and Huddersfield.”
During her UK experience Herath’s work was filmed for BBC World Service. The series, which was not broadcast in the UK, features healthcare across the globe. Having been aired last month, several of her colleagues at HRI and at the Special Baby Care Unit at Calderdale Royal Hospital were also featured in the programme.
